CARS. Driven by Design. Sports cars from the 1950s to the 1970s

They are fast, beautiful, eccentric and innovative – the sports cars from the 1950s to the 1970s are objects whose bodies and engines combine to form a sensuous mixture of modern and classic elements, of design and aesthetics.

In recent decades these automobiles have not just become sought-after collector’s items, but, in their capacity as “imagination machine” and Gesamtkunstwerk, they enjoy cult status. Against this backdrop the exhibition presents around 25 outstanding sports cars, all of which rank among the very icons of the history of design. In terms of unifying form, technology, design and emotion, each of the selected cars is evocative of a sculpture.

The exhibition features legendary sports cars such as the Mercedes Benz 300 SL, the aero-dynamically designed Jaguar E-Type, Alfa Romeo’s Giulietta Spider which, streamlined and elegant, as well as the Lamborghini Countach, praised as a “supercar”. The show marks the beginning of a series of exhibitions directing the focus on the museum’s collection of applied art.

Curators: Dieter Castenow, Barbara Til