As many of you know, The Cadillac Ranch resides along Route 66 several miles west of Amarillo, Texas. An art collective called the Ant Farm constructed the ranch as a project in 1974. The ranch consists of 10 Cadillacs from the fifties and sixties, arranged to show the growth and subsequent fall of the Cadillac Tailfin. A work both absurd and playful, it forever links the automobile to art culture. The site has been described in many car magazines, and is something of a touchstone for automotive enthusiasts,. so of course I had to stop and visit as part of our Route 66 tour.
Near the Ranch site, I found a visitor’s center with three lovely Cadillacs lined up on slanted pedestals. The cars shined in the summer sun, highlights glinting off their chrome. As a kid, I pictured the ranch looking just like this. Of course, the actual Ranch looks quite different, but this version reflects a mind’s eye picture from my youth.
Driving to the ranch from the visitor’ center, I had to laugh. Many articles have described the Cadillac Ranch as desolate and remote, but it appeared that description reflected an overall impression of the region, rather than reality. The Ranch is located a couple miles out of Amarillo, and is easily viewed from I-40. Having visited Carhenge up in Nebraska, I can tell you the Cadillac Ranch is far closer to civilization.
On site, my Dad and I parked among five or six other cars along the service road, and walked across the open ground to the display. The first thing I noticed was spray cans everywhere. Moving closer to the cars, I could see the ground at the base of the cars covered with expended spray cans and brightly colored caps. Five or six people were using cans to mark the cars, some climbing on the vehicles to find a promising spot for their art.
The cars at Cadillac Ranch are subject to both vandalism and graffiti. Both the creators and the patron who supported the project are comfortable with the graffiti, viewing the ever changing image a natural evolution of artistic expression. However, they have taken a number of steps to prevent vandalism, such as welding the wheels to the axles. Despite this, some of the cars at the ranch are missing doors or have split open roofs.
Walking around the cars, I heard folks speaking several languages. Many foreign visitors tour Route 66, and some of them chose to participate in this on going art project. It’s clear the Ranch draws at least as many artists as car lovers (and probably more). Thanks to these efforts, the shape and form of the Cadillacs have changed over time. The spray can artists view theses cars as a canvas for their work, not automobiles.
Canvasses with layer after layer of paint. Take a close look at this differential. I’d estimate the paint is one and a half to two inches thick on the the pumpkin. That’s built up one layer at a time, over 40 years- Amazing!
Personally, I’d never treat an old car as a graffiti canvas, but to each their own. But I am not so easy going regarding the litter spread around the site. Anyone familar with the open prarie understands the litter moves with the wind- It’s an unavoidable force of nature. To my mind, paint these cars as much as you want, BUT PICK YOUR TRASH.
Pardon me for sounding curmudgeonly, but I think this picture along the perimeter of the Ranch speaks for itself. In my world, artist is not synonymous with slob.
Related reading (Carhenge in Nebraska):
I have stopped there several times. The cars are not in their original location, however, as the city of Amarillo was getting too close and the installation was relocated farther out of town.
Does anyone have pictures of the installation before the vandals, er, graffiti artists got to it? I seem to remember it was quite a stunning installation back when you could actually recognize those cars as Cadillacs.
I have a paperback from 1976 called Automerica by Ant Farm. Ant Farm were the guys who installed Cadillac Ranch. Some pictures an th ecover and inside.
Here’s how it looked in ’74. Very different. It was striking and meaningful in its time. That silver ’49 coupe diving into the ground is sublime, and true art.
Now? It long stopped working for me.
I’ve seen this trend expressed in other ways. When we were at the Louvre in Paris a couple of years ago, hordes of tourists would pile out of their buses, literally run through the vast halls of art just to take a quick picture or selfie of the Mona Lisa, and run back to the bus.
I saw the same thing last time in NY at the Moma: folks run in to take a picture, so that they can validate it to themselves (and others) that they were there, without stopping to really LOOK at the art, and partake of the actual experience.
Everyone painting these cars over and over is somewhat the same thing to me. Unless folks somehow have to prove to themselves or others that they were there, it’s somehow not an actual experience for them. Kinda’ misses the point, IMHO.
philistines
Art tourism in a nutshell, Paul
I would agree with that, except… what else would possibly happen to these cars? It doesn’t have the weight it did 40 years ago because part of what made the original so stunning was that the cars were beautiful pieces of art in their own right. But they could never be preserved in their 1974 state through any sane means. They were going to deteriorate anyway, and I don’t think preservation would have reflected the original intention anyway. The kids spraypainting dumb shit all over them are, perhaps way more often than not, missing the point… but vandalism and destruction seem like a more realistic and common fate for old American iron than just natural decay.
Another part of Cadillac Ranch really was a kind of “fuck you”, kill your idols attitude mocking our reverence for these individual Monuments to Excess, and I think that is still fully intact. The reasons for the graffiti and the people doing it are somewhat irrelevant to me.
I agree with you Sean. The Cadillac Ranch was about the death of an era. And it’s more than the death of the big car; it’s also about letting go….You’re right; there was no way to freeze that moment in time. It’s a memory now, as are the Cadillacs, in terms of what they once went. Multiple deaths.
But I have no desire to see it like this now, FWIW.
There’s still a beauty to it in your photo. When I heard about the creation of the installation I wondered why they often used running, driving cars in relatively good condition rather than junkers, and seeing it like that, I see why. Both for the visual impact and that it makes much more of a statement to bury a functional luxury car (if an old-fashioned one) rather than using a junker. My naive younger self thought it was sort of an unconventional monument to the cars, whereas I now see it’s more of a monument to the destruction of the cars.
Looked at from that perspective, the grafiti makes sense, and even the vandalism can be seen as part of the artistic evolution. But I wish I could have seen it back when you took that photo.
A picture from 2006.
I stop by there every time I go to Colorado from Dallas, or in Amarillo for any reason.
It’s cool about the various graffiti on the cars, but the litter is horrible. I never buy any spray paint because you can always find a can on the ground that still has enough paint in it to do some thing, once that can is done, I’ll pack it out, or if there still some left, I’ll hand it off to the next empty-handed person I see.
In October 2013 we also visited the Cadillac Ranch. The site wasn´t littered too much at that time. Seems as if someone would take care of it from time to time.
Did you visit Bug Ranch right east of Amarillo too?
Yes, we are from Germany. We took Route 66 from Chicago all the way to Santa Monica, tried to find each original piece of pavement and enjoyed every mile of it.
Stefan
Be sure to read my “Touring Route 66” post tomorrow, and share your thoughts from the European Perspective.
Thanks, D/S
Vandalism was the point of the “Installation.” Check out “Ant Farm” on google. http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cadillac_Ranch
I got stuck trying to find Cadillac Ranch nearly two years ago since it had just rained. The Caddies are off the first road to the left if you get off I-40 Westbound. I took the second left and the mud/dirt road was so slippy I slid my Voyager across the whole road and ended up in a ditch for 8 hours. AAA would not tow me because I was too far off the pavement (about 1/10th mile plus some) and the locals said wait a few days for the road to dry out. I found a tow operator later that day, it cost me a hundred dollars, and he stretched his cable out as far as possible. That Texas dirt is like cement, I could never get it all off.
The Ranch is cool, but some goof balls were walking through the mud and puddles barefoot.
I was there 1975 before the vandals decided to spray paint the cars. I stopped by a year ago and was very disappointed. I don’t think I’ll waste my time going back.
It’s a real shame , they could have made it in accessible to the vandals but instead decided to simply destroy priceless old Caddies from the jump .
I remember when it was new , kinda neat .
The fact that ‘ artists ‘ leave behind so much trash and spray cans , reduces the validity of this so called ‘ art ‘ in my eyes .
I have seen some amazingly good Foo-Foo car art over the years , this is putrid .
-Nate
Back in 1974, these cars were not “priceless,” Several of them were picked up for a couple hundred bucks. I’m not sure what the values are today, but given most are four doors, they’re at the lower end of the price scale.
Yes and no ~
I remember they claimed to have a hard time getting one model year (1958 IIRC) and they had to haggle and browbeat some old person who didn’t really want to sell off the ex Spouse’s Caddy , when the deal was done , they shook hands and then someone handed the buyer a _sledgehammer_ and he bashed in the grille as the old Owner looked on in horror .
This isn’t the actions of a good person no matter how good the tart may have once been .
-Nate
I remember reading that; it did not increase my opinion of Ant Farm. And the slobs who tag “I wuz here?” A bunch of self-indulgent slobs. Pick up your trash!
Yes I am feeling curmudgeonly! 🙂
Ugh!! That is the ugliest thing I have ever seen posted by CC. Art is art, but this is disgusting! Litter everywhere and graffiti galore! What a thing to do! Preservation of old cars is making them beautiful again, not creating a nauseating spectacle for all the world to see. I can think of many-many better ways of displaying the evolution of the tail-finned autos of yesteryear. I don’t think any self-respecting auto enthusiast would creat a thing like that mess! GOOD LUCK!
I think that’s the point. The way I see it, they weren’t enthusiasts–far from it.
I have never been described as an environmentalist, but it is disgusting the way some of these “artists” toss their empty rattlecans on the ground and leave them. For heaven’s sake, if the proprietors wish to encourage such graffiti, can they not leave some trash containers? And if there are no trash containers, how hard can it be to carry an empty spray can (and its lid) back to your car? After all, you were able to carry it there.
I remember seeing a picture of this at first back in the 70s. Any desire I had to see this has evaporated as a result of the spray painting. To me, the graffiti obscures the shape of the cars which was, as I understood it, the whole point of the exhibit.
The Horror! The Horror!
Send all old cars to Germany, France, Russia, Saudi, UAE!!! Quick! At least those folks keep ’em on the road and drive around.
I’d personally like to interview any potential “artist” buyers for my cars with a gun in hand.
You truly can’t un-see some stuff. And to think I had really wanted to visit this place myself. Not any more!
Where is the baby-seal torture display?
Sic transit Gloria Cadillac, the Standard of the World.
Yuck. Sadly, much “art” today is synonymous with “vandalism.” Used to be that “art” involved some measure of skill…
Now get off my lawn! (c:
I can’t let this post go by without mentioning another “ranch” on Route 66 – Henry’s Rabbit Ranch: https://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/nostalgia/curbside-attractions-henrys-rabbit-ranch-the-mother-lode-on-the-mother-road/
Actually, art used to be synonymous with “talent” and “training”. As in, you showed a certain raw talent for a medium, then attended school for years to perfect his ability. After which you started creating your own works. If fortunate, you got good enough to have a patron to pay your bills, and your work was considered worth exhibiting.
Nowadays, its all about “personal expression”, taking time to hone one’s talent is considered elitist, and most works of art have explanations of what the piece is supposed to stay hanging on the sign with the title. At which point, its considered un-artistically correct to (correctly) claim that the artist has failed completely in getting his point across.
It feels like most artists have their first gallery showings about three weeks after starting to create, and the public is expected to be appreciative.
Sorry, I don’t buy it. Then again, you’re talking to the guy who spent an hour one day just staring at van Dyke’s “Triple Portrait of Charles I” in a museum exhibit, completely in awe. That, is talent.
Actually, the most important aspect to art is creativity. Which of course explains why art is constantly evolving. If someone could paint like van Dyke today, they might be admired for their craftsmanship (and there are many “forgers” who do have that level of skill).
But what the true artist does is find a way of expressing something new, or in a new way. Which of course explains why each period of art history is different.
The last time I was at MOMA in NY, I followed the exhibits chronologically, and it was a powerful experience, seeing the evolution of art in the 20th century, evolving alongside (or at the leading edge of) the state of our world view.
Obviously, post later modern and modern art can be challenging, and sometimes requires too much “insider” info/knowledge to appreciate. But in a way, that’s a reflection of our time too.
Classic art is a wonder glimpse back to a time when the world view was different, and craftsmanship was cultivated to an extremely high level. But there’s no going back. it wouldn’t be true art.
Stanley Marsh accomplished exactly what he intended to with this installation, collection, project, whatever you want to call it. He got our attention the attention of millions more. We look at it, talk about it, interact with it, climb on it, paint it, etc, etc. etc. He made us THINK!
Yes, and my thought was PICK UP YOUR TRASH! ;->
The people who did this ARE trash .
-Nate
Yes. I think “what a waste of classic Cadillacs and real estate.”
There is something similar in Nebraska I think, called Carhenge. I don’t think that all (if any) are Cadillacs though.
Yes, I made a oblique reference to it in the text.
Perry Shoar wrote an article about Carhenge some time ago- I added a link to the bottom of the article. D/S
I remember driving by it once (or more) a long time ago. I don’t think much of the whole idea of planting cars in the ground this way.
Along the interstate a restaurant/brew_pub uses old firetrucks along with a billboard to advertise. I don’t think much of this either.
However, there is a very interesting spot along the road on my many trips to and from the Mayo Clinic with a large metal sculpture of a cow/bull head with horns. Been there sometime and now is surrounded by a lot of much smaller metal sculptures – flowers maybe.
Though I’ve never seen the place you’re talking about with the fire trucks, nor even know where it is, I don’t mind things like that. Yes, perhaps there would be someone who could have restored them, but especially with something as big as a fire truck, it’s probably more likely they would have ended up scrapped years ago. Even if it’s for advertising purposes we can still enjoy seeing them. On the way to the beach last week I passed an establsihement who have a row of vintage tractors roadside leading up to the store, each towing a trailer with an advertisement on it. Some might decry the commercial aspect, but again, it’s fascinating old machinery displayed in a prominent place.
The Cadillac Ranch, on the other hand, especially in its current format, has essentially transformed the subject matter into something completely different. Creative destruction, perhaps, but still destruction.
Sorry to sound like a philistine but the litter the graffiti ..just looks to destroyed now.
Thanx for the photo Paul ;
It really was quite the sight back then .
I too love the Sedanette but prolly would want a different Caddy if I had to choose one ~ in the 1960’s I spent much time riding in battered ’53 ~ ’56 Caddies around Boston , mostly Fisher bodies Limos with jump seats and the dividers , they were fabulous cars if beat nearly to death at the time .
-Nate
Interesting observations, Dave. The rubbish around the site is a disgrace. I read an article recently about Burning Man and even those freaks still pick up after themselves. Dunno about the ‘spray can art’. One part of me finds it visually unappealing, the other part would love to see this in two or three hundred years and see how the accretion alters the shapes.
This place disgusts me. I would never go there. To me it symbolizes the ultimate disrespect of the automobile.
When I was there in 1980 it seemed much more remote!
Wow that’s some pic! Were you riding that tail fin totally nude??
This is such a classic pic! Not everybody could pull that one off. Lol.
Still no report from Mustang Ranch…
I agree with you Paul, it seemed much more ‘artistic’ back when the cars were clean. I guess we should be glad it’s not Piss Christ.
Here’s a shot of the scrub when we visited in ’04….
At least it was clean in the area.
The sad condition of the site is attributable to there are no parties charged with the responsibility for its upkeep or maintenance. The Ant Farm has long left the scene of the crime and the results are what happens when adult supervision is lacking. I stopped by there during a wet spring several years ago and in addition to the mountain of paint cans, there were heaps of fast food discards, disposable diapers and shoes caked thick with mud left behind by their owners who found it too troublesome to scrape them clean evoking a human testament for later generations: “they came, they saw, they made waste.”
Graffiti in it’s best form can also be true art but for the most part it is just dogs pissing on things.
Funny you should mention that ~ as I was driving home last night I passed a HUGE long wall with Foo-Foo can Art on it and every bit of it was very well done indeed .
I considered snapping a photo of it to share but I don’t know how the Folks here would respond to young Folks Ghetto Art no matter how well done it is .
-Nate
Sometimes the “best form” can be very, very good though. Here in Richmond there is a disused bus maintenance facility that happens to be near a very popular shopping/dining/nightlife district. Eventually it will probably be redeveloped, but at the present time, the city doesn’t have the funds for the required site cleanup. So someone had the bright idea to let it become a giant “graffiti art” installation, and folks were allocated a portion of the site, allowed to come in with spray cans and do their own thing. The results range from the impressive to the disturbing to the truly beautiful. The main site has since been closed to foot traffic or further painting, but the surrounding walls continue to be a revolving canvas, and continue to generate some very cool-looking stuff. The taggers and other ne’er-do-wells seem to be respecting the thing also.
I understand Chris ;
You’re right , that prolly _is_ Art , this crap is not by any definition .
-Nate