The Petersen Automotive Museum Opens ‘Flat Out: The Art of Joshua Vides’ Exhibit

The Petersen Automotive Museum has partnered with contemporary artist Joshua Vides to launch “Flat Out: The Art of Joshua Vides.” In this new exhibition, the visual artist has transformed the Armand Hammer Foundation Gallery into a high-contrast experience of a mechanic’s garage, showcasing his signature “Reality to Idea” aesthetic, museum officials stated in a press release.

With his “Reality to Idea” style, Vides makes real-world objects appear as striking black-and-white, two-dimensional illustrations. To create this effect, he painstakingly hand-paints crisp black lines onto all-white surfaces to create monochromatic graphic artwork that resembles flat comic book sketches. His high-profile past collaborations include Nike, Converse, Fendi, Google and G-Shock.

For the new exhibition, Vides spent nine days hand-painting not only the five vehicles in the gallery, but also the walls and other elements that make up the garage. The result is a truly one-of-a-kind experience that blurs the line between reality and illustration, noted the release.

“I’ve had the opportunity to paint numerous vehicles and create galleries before, but to bring ‘Reality to Idea’ to life in a gallery at the Petersen is a dream come true,” said Vides. “Every vehicle provides a unique canvas, as do the spaces they are set in. Doing this at the Petersen was such an honor, and I am excited for the public to experience this exhibition.”

“What Joshua Vides has done by transforming this gallery into a real-life sketchbook is truly remarkable,” said Terry L. Karges, executive director of the Petersen Automotive Museum. “Utilizing the canvas of multiple unique automobiles, he has created a space unlike anything we’ve ever had at the Petersen, which will provide inspiration for our guests.”

“Flat Out: The Art of Joshua Vides” will be on display until July 5, 2027. Tickets and additional information are available at petersen.org/pages/exhibits.