Early afternoon found us in Portland, stopping at the Portland Art Museum for the eagerly-awaited (in some quarters) exhibition, Allure of the Automobile, a collection of some of the world’s most striking automobile designs, mostly from the 30s and 50s. My absolute favorite was the Talbot-Lago (I used to have a Road and Track centerfold of one on my wall in my Santa Monica apartment in the 70s, but it is long gone now). Second would be the 1938 or 39 Alfa Romeo 8C Berlinetta coupe, although the Spyder is my choice from that era and marque. Hispano-Suiza, Bentley, Bugatti and many more. Except in the day-lit lobby area, the show’s lighting absolutely conspired to make photography virtually impossible, as neither flash nor tripod was permitted. Most of the photos were taken hand-held from 1 to 6 seconds, but at least I got some “reference” images.
Also showing at the Museum were some mostly auto-themed photographs from the 50s and 60s made by Ray Metzker, one of the masters of black & white “street” photography. An unexpected surprise, time ran out before we could fully examine all of the large body of work on display.
