Curves of Steel: Streamlined Automobile Design at Phoenix Art Museum

A deluxe volume that explores the evolution of the streamlined automotive shape from the 1930s to the 1990s.

Originally produced as the official catalog for a 2007 exhibition at the Phoenix Museum of Art, Curves of Steel celebrates the intersection of style and aerodynamics that is the hallmark of streamlined design in the twentieth century. The book features some of the most important examples of streamlined automobiles, which top scholars selected from North America’s most significant private and public collections. These automobiles demonstrate the influence of aerodynamics and how it changed the look of the automobile from what was originally a rectangular “horseless carriage” into a sleek modern machine that embodies the ideas of speed and efficiency. Curves of Steel includes essays from many of the world’s great automotive writers, including Beverly Rae Kimes, Ken Gross, Phil Patton, Richard Adatto, and Diana Meredith. Each car is presented with historical images and stunning modern photographs by Michael Furman.

103 color photos; 32 black & white photos; 23 black & white illustrations

Distinguished automotive historian, editor and writer Jonathan A. Stein has collaborated with Michael Furman on The Performing Art of the American Automobile, Curves of Steel, and The Art and Colour of General Motors.

Michael Furman's photography has been the centerpiece of celebrated books on automotive design, including Curves of Steel, The Performing Art of the American Automoible, the award-winning Motorcars of the Classic Era and Speed, Style and Beauty: The Cars of the Ralph Lauren Collection.