Profile Airflow–Test Mold, Front End

Chrysler’s Airflow, a landmark 1930s model celebrated for its groundbreaking aerodynamics, is the subject of this sculpture. Claes Oldenburg found the automobile to be an extremely fertile arena for his art and created a profile view of the vehicle’s front fender, hood, and tire. Interested in the desires sparked by the Airflow, he wanted to convey an alluring version "clear in color, transparent like a swimming pool but of a consistency like flesh."

Polymer science could help create these unusual visual and tactile effects, so the publisher Gemini G.E.L. enlisted the Southern California plastics industry to develop appropriate materials and manufacturing techniques. Ultimately, Oldenburg’s project took several years to realize, and in the process, Gemini forged new avenues for collaboration in art and technology.