The Bugatti name is widely known in the automotive world for the selection of exquisite roadcars and racecars produced by Automobiles Ettore Bugatti. What may not be as well recognized is that the automobile was not the only art form pursued by the Bugatti family, as four generations have made their individual marks in other media.
With its new exhibit, The Art of Bugatti, which opened last week and will run through 2017, the Petersen Museum in Los Angeles is offering visitors a deeper appreciation of the family’s broad array of artistic talent. The exhibit provides an inside look at the history of the Bugatti family, beginning with its patriarch, Carlo Bugatti, and his unique path through the arts that included a mastery of architecture, painting, Art Nouveau furniture design and silversmithing. It then goes into great detail on the work of his sons, sculptor Rembrandt and carmaker Ettore — as well as the latter’s children — and studies the influence of Rembrandt’s animal-life sculptures on his brother Ettore’s art-deco era automotive designs. The exhibit also offers a history of the family itself, including correspondence and historical artifacts.
“The work of the Bugatti family has become a great passion of mine over the years,” said Peter Mullin, Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Petersen Automotive Museum. “They are one of the greatest art dynasties of the 20th century and yet many people are only familiar with their automotive works. The purpose of this exhibit is to help the public see how four generations of one family have been creating beauty in different ways – furniture, sculpture, paintings, writings and automobiles. The mediums differ but their passion and aesthetic is constant.”
The vehicles on display include the 1925 Bugatti Type 35C Grand Prix, a 1939 Bugatti Type 44 Fiacre, a 1930 Bugatti Type 46 Cabriolet, a 1931 Bugatti Type 50 S, a 1931 Bugatti Type 54, a 1932 Bugatti Type 55 Supersport, one of four 1935 Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantics, 1939 Bugatti Type 57C Aravis by Gangloff, a 1939 Bugatti Type 57C by Vanvooren, a 1939 Bugatti Type 57C Atalante by Gangloff, 1939/49 Bugatti Type 57C Atalante, and the last Bugatti overseen by members of the family, the 1951 Bugatti Type 101C. Also on display are the extremely rare 1994 Bugatti EB110 Super Sport Le Mans and the aforementioned Chiron, which will be on display until early November.
For further information please visit www.Petersen.org
