Norman Foster presents ‘Motion: autos, art and architecture’ at the Guggenheim museum

From horse-driven carriages to fast-paced race cars, automobiles have indeed been the driving force of individual freedom for nearly 200 years. With his latest exhibition, ‘Motion: autos, art and architecture’, Norman Foster showcases his enthusiasm for automobiles. He focuses on commemorating the continual trend-setting phenomena of progressive automotive design. The exhibition is being held at the famous Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain with the sponsored support of Volkswagen and Iberdrola. The automobile exhibition commenced on the 8th of April and will continue till the 18th of September 2022.

The exhibit features curation of over 40 car design from the 20th and the 21st century along with many art and architectural pieces celebrating cars.

British architect Norman Robert Foster explores the cultural linkages between art, automobiles and architecture which he subtly refers to as the ‘cultural synergy’. The exhibition is divided into thematic zones namely beginnings, sculptures, popularising, sporting, visionaries, Americana and Future. Every individually themed exhibit is designed to match the historical points of intersection for art, auto and architecture.

Foster’s team had the support of Lekha Hileman waitoller and Manuel Cirauqui of the Guggenheim Museum, for curating the exhibition. The exhibition has a display of nearly forty automobiles from different periods putting on a show of their rarity, beauty and technical advancement. While the automobiles take the centre stage, there are almost three hundred artworks and sculptures put on display as well. Many of the exhibits are from Foster's private collection put on display for a wider audience. The future zone of the exhibition shows the creative approaches by students from 16 different schools of design and architecture as chosen by Norman Foster Foundation to imagine what the future of automobile design is.

Norman Foster is a renowned British architect who graduated from the Manchester University school of architecture and city planning in 1961. He received the 21st Pritzker architecture prize in 1999 among many more of his notable recognitions. Foster’s foundation is an establishment that focuses on promoting interdisciplinary thinking and research in the field of design. They encourage holistic education through experimentation and research for connecting art, architecture, technology and design for the development of society.