Category: Vernacular Art

Circa 1995 you could find a fantastic set of murals advertising D&A Auto Body Repair at Western Avenue and 47th Street. This prodigious achievement, featuring at least three distinct styles, does not survive, but here are its highlights. Back to the  Automotive Art Gallery index

Julio’s Auto Parts has maintained its commitment to the art of auto parts over many years. This gallery features images from 2002 and 2016. Back to the  Automotive Art Gallery index

Most auto parts are about as prosaic as can be, but they are often made dynamic through the magic of roadside art. This gallery starts with a straightforward representation of a spark plug, picking up creative steam with the artist at International Auto Service, who wins for the bold use of color and shapes. The Illinois Starter artist went for simplification of the parts and highlighting technique. The puddle approach makes Akram Electric stand out while Rudy’s goes the more traditional cover-the-earth strategy.  Back to the  Automotive Art Gallery index

The right artist can bring auto parts and auto repair alive, whether through grotesque hybrids, anthropomorphized mechanicals or mechanics who are plain realistic. Back to the  Automotive Art Gallery index

One of the most common techniques for promoting auto repair shops and parts stores is to have a large variety of images floating around the place. These three examples of folky auto parts run from the North Side to the Far South Side of Chicago . Back to the  Automotive Art Gallery index

Repair shops and sales lots alike commission some fine vehicle renderings, from the schematic to the realistic to the bizarre. Back to the  Automotive Art Gallery index

The neon extravaganza promoting the Car Town used-car lot on Western Avenue in Chicago was dismantled in 2020, having stood there, it’s believed, since the mid-1950s. The neon was complemented by some large-scale painted signs as well as a very nice Mid-Century Modern structure.  More on Car Town. Back to the  Automotive Art Gallery index

Chicago is home to a many fine roadside representations of auto parts, but this kind of art is not exclusive to the Midwest. There is great automotive imagery all over, from Jacksonsville, Florida, to San Francisco. Here are some great examples. Back to the  Automotive Art Gallery index

Auto parts float against a lovely blue background at Chicago’s Ninevah Auto Parts. Back to the  Automotive Art Gallery index

Like mufflers, tires have a special place in the universe of automotive signage. Painted tire art can be found in many locations, and actual tires, like actual mufflers, can serve very effectively to advertise a service. Personally, I love the simple tire-on-a-stick, though there is still much to like in every artist’s painted rendition of this ubiquitous form. Back to the  Automotive Art Gallery index