Vintage military planes get modern art treatment
by ZDNet Author | February 7, 2012 7:10am PST | Image 1 of 10
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If you're an aviation enthusiast and you've been to Tucson, Ariz., there's a good chance you've visited the Pima Air & Space Museum, one of the country's best collections of mothballed and vintage airplanes.
But unless you've been in the last week, you haven't seen the exhibition of planes in the collection that have been re-imagined by a group of contemporary artists. Until May 31, the Round Trip: Art from the Boneyard Project exhibition is on display at the museum, and if you have a chance, you might well want to make the trip.
As part of the exhibit, artist painted five of the collection's planes, as well as two partial cockpits. And, the show also includes a much broader set of nose cones and tails from a previous exhibition.
This is "Warning Shot," by Retna. It is a DC3 that has been painted with ink and latex.
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I'd rather see them restored to their original paint schemes, perhaps slightly enhanced. But overall, I'm not impressed. Seemed like a waste of money.
@andy.hefty@...
I agree. I see no artful attachment to the vintage aircraft.
I agree. I see no artful attachment to the vintage aircraft.
@andy.hefty@... This is more like "graffiti" than art!
@geoyork@... Would you prefer a picture of the Mona Lisa painted on the sides? Or perhaps a 1605 Carraivaggio?
What, exactly is art to you?
What, exactly is art to you?
@andy.hefty@...
And I presume your opinion also holds for a 1974 Dodge Charger?
Or this Porsche? http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lj962jsm6c1qel309.jpg
And I presume your opinion also holds for a 1974 Dodge Charger?
Or this Porsche? http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lj962jsm6c1qel309.jpg
artistry of that type must be an acquired taste.
I know everyone has their take on things and that's fine. I just think warbirds have a soul and spirit that should portray their own story in history. I won't be making this trip.
@itim Interesting. ...warbirds have a "soul". What about real birds?
I think these are very creative and well done. I would love to see it.
Plenty of examples of restorations to original condition can be found. I appreciate the vision other people have in 'seeing' something unique.
Plenty of examples of restorations to original condition can be found. I appreciate the vision other people have in 'seeing' something unique.
I live about 2 hours from this museum and have been there many times. I'll skip this. I understand different people have different tastes in art, and if this will get more younger kids through the door that's fine with me (I'm 34 btw). Warbirds and older aircraft need to reflect the times and look of when they were produced, just as classic cars need to IMHO. This year I guess I'll just be visiting the Titan Missile Museum in Green Valley and skipping Pima.
"Of taste there is no disputing...said the man as he kissed a pig." Warbirds deserve better than to be the canvass for this type of artwork. Just my two cents and not a judgment on the artwork, itself. I'd go to Pima if I could but not to see this artwork.
NOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooooooooo. this is just wrong. spend the money to restore these planes. don't deface them.
The DC-3s were more likely C-47 Gooney Birds, which my father proudly flew for years.
My first and last thought was that the graffiti artists are now off of the freeways and such, but I really wish they had a different canvas to perform on.
You all are ignorant to art. You're boring, old, and "un-CHANGE-able". We ALL know the original times of these aircraft, the vintage, and maybe even the story each holds. But, there's also TONS of other already restored vintage aircraft today, some still in operation. The effort and work put into this project I like and may even pay a visit. Plus, the cost of restoration may be too high vs. the income. This is different and unique, it's what we want, it's what we all need - change...
@raylinder@... What also gets me is that at their time, they had pin-up girls painted on them. Defacing has always been in their lives. Principles are the same. Keep up the great work, love it! 
@raylinder@...
Agreed.. Indications are that most correspondents here would prefer all that old aluminum be unceremoniously shredded, while muttering "how sad!".
Well, at least some of these old patriotic dinosaurs are into recycling! Uncharacteristic though this be.
Agreed.. Indications are that most correspondents here would prefer all that old aluminum be unceremoniously shredded, while muttering "how sad!".
Well, at least some of these old patriotic dinosaurs are into recycling! Uncharacteristic though this be.
This is a dishonor to the aircraft that served and to the people who flew them. Both deserve much better.
@Shara8 Oh, pishposh. Where were YOU when the majority of these planes were being ground up for scrap? Or rusting in the desert?
You still have time! There's a whole slew of them sitting in a California or Arizona desert right now. Now get cracking!
You still have time! There's a whole slew of them sitting in a California or Arizona desert right now. Now get cracking!
Sorry, I never did learn to appreciate the street graffiti style. To each his own, but I'll skip this presentation.
I am saddened that the planes valiant young men of the era flew and gave up their lives in should be so defaced at the invitation of the museum's curators. Our fathers and grandfathers put their lives on the line in these machines so that they and their children could live in a world of freedom. Yes, those who flew these planes put up their own artwork on their planes, as one responder above said, but that was done at the time the planes were used and was a lot more tasteful than this, and of course also reflected the minds of those warriors. A little melancholy about home (Betty Boop and other similar pieces of art come to mind) and boasts of their ferocity (shark teeth) and their kills (numbers and other such designs).
The only one I liked was the DC-3 cockpit with the reversed art on it. It was more like the duty and excise stamps on imports and other goods, but reversed, as if you were looking at the stamps themselves (before they made their impressions on whatever piece of paper they were to be applied to); and the DC-3 was a cargo plane. That is the only good note of the whole exhibit, and even then that cockpit is too busy with all the artist put on it. Less would definitely have been better.
As for the next to last picture, the artist missed the boat with his art. Keeping the title in mind, he should have put on the logos of companies which disappeared in the last ten to fifteen years. Then he could really have given it the name he gave his piece.
All the rest are nothing more than graffiti ordered by the museum's curators. The curators soiled their (our forefathers) memory and sacrifices by this exhibition and should be fired for this. This is a slap in the face of our fathers who served in the wars, all of the wars, not just WWII.
The only one I liked was the DC-3 cockpit with the reversed art on it. It was more like the duty and excise stamps on imports and other goods, but reversed, as if you were looking at the stamps themselves (before they made their impressions on whatever piece of paper they were to be applied to); and the DC-3 was a cargo plane. That is the only good note of the whole exhibit, and even then that cockpit is too busy with all the artist put on it. Less would definitely have been better.
As for the next to last picture, the artist missed the boat with his art. Keeping the title in mind, he should have put on the logos of companies which disappeared in the last ten to fifteen years. Then he could really have given it the name he gave his piece.
All the rest are nothing more than graffiti ordered by the museum's curators. The curators soiled their (our forefathers) memory and sacrifices by this exhibition and should be fired for this. This is a slap in the face of our fathers who served in the wars, all of the wars, not just WWII.
@bart001fr@... "As for the next to last picture, the artist missed the boat with his art."
Can you read what I can read? Oh look, those are not real logos. It's a message of some sort. Let's try. No, you just watch. I'll try.
I found a slightly higher resolution image at:
http://arrestedmotion.com/2012/01/openings-the-boneyard-project-return-trip-pima-art-space-museum/trustocorp-10-years-of-war-e1327178068217/
I can read the following (blanking out unclear words, bleeping one):
I Wonder ____ __ bread __
we just buy oil & blitz with MyDollars
& (****in') gonuts with lies & red ___ & bull ___
____ ____ _ Hell 2pay ___ __ __ ___ fat 2 run
& we cant aFFord to Bank on America
I hope sumday to forget the murdering
& ___ peace __ __ ___ American expression
good years of W A R
Boy, he sure appears to be saying something relevant to the fact that it is written on a military part. I just cannot understand this, so neither should you.
"Slap in the face?" By George, I think he's got it. Thanks for waking up to post. Keep believing that American history has always promoted freedom, equality, and justice - just because they say so. Ever hear of Howard Zinn?
Can you read what I can read? Oh look, those are not real logos. It's a message of some sort. Let's try. No, you just watch. I'll try.
I found a slightly higher resolution image at:
http://arrestedmotion.com/2012/01/openings-the-boneyard-project-return-trip-pima-art-space-museum/trustocorp-10-years-of-war-e1327178068217/
I can read the following (blanking out unclear words, bleeping one):
I Wonder ____ __ bread __
we just buy oil & blitz with MyDollars
& (****in') gonuts with lies & red ___ & bull ___
____ ____ _ Hell 2pay ___ __ __ ___ fat 2 run
& we cant aFFord to Bank on America
I hope sumday to forget the murdering
& ___ peace __ __ ___ American expression
good years of W A R
Boy, he sure appears to be saying something relevant to the fact that it is written on a military part. I just cannot understand this, so neither should you.
"Slap in the face?" By George, I think he's got it. Thanks for waking up to post. Keep believing that American history has always promoted freedom, equality, and justice - just because they say so. Ever hear of Howard Zinn?
Some posters seem familiar with aviation and its history, and frankly I'm surprised that few seem to understand that "Round Trip: Art from the Boneyard Project" means that these items are "from the Boneyard". These are not planes which will, or likely even can, be restored to their former glory. They have been slowly decaying in a Boneyard - slang for a junkyard for planes - while being used for spare parts to restore other planes.
I'm glad that someone, anyone, in any way, breathed some life into these relics. Without someone's attention, it's just junk. Not all art is to portray beauty. Be offended if you choose to. Perhaps you caught the true message that I missed, if a closed-minded audience is the one intended by the artist. Your disgusted reactions could be proof of concept and a measurable success. Otherwise, it's still junk with history.
Personally, I appreciated the superposition of art upon war machines. Look, kids: Irony!
I'm glad that someone, anyone, in any way, breathed some life into these relics. Without someone's attention, it's just junk. Not all art is to portray beauty. Be offended if you choose to. Perhaps you caught the true message that I missed, if a closed-minded audience is the one intended by the artist. Your disgusted reactions could be proof of concept and a measurable success. Otherwise, it's still junk with history.
Personally, I appreciated the superposition of art upon war machines. Look, kids: Irony!
@Solenoid ... Very well said, sir. I suspect only 2% of the population appreciates what may be called art without the signature of a famous/well-known artist.
In another time, the Beatles had a Rolls Royce painted in the "new" psychedelic style. In my mind a Rolls carried an intrinsic value beyond its price tag. I felt that it should carry with it a certain respect, and this was a denigration. Tucson has a very artsy community and this would be more acceptable there. However, I live about an hour away from where Evergreen Aviation has the Spruce Goose on display. Not to say that the culture of the northwest has better taste than the southwest, I think I can safely say that none of the aircraft, warbirds or otherwise, none of them will be getting any "artistic makeovers."
Wonderful and thoughtful!!! Who'd have known or cared about new uses for old "weapons". As the UN motto says: Beat swords into plowshares.
Guess there are more than a few patriotic types who miss the "glory" of the good old days and take this event as an "insult" to that "wonderful" American history where the world was conquered and the bad guys taken out by the god-fearing good guys singlehandedly. Wonder what the rest of the world thinks of this attitude? Oh, I forgot, the US is (leaving) Iraq, got out of many other places and is still the world's largest colonial owner. (Yes, it is true, folks. Just count 'em.)
Guess there are more than a few patriotic types who miss the "glory" of the good old days and take this event as an "insult" to that "wonderful" American history where the world was conquered and the bad guys taken out by the god-fearing good guys singlehandedly. Wonder what the rest of the world thinks of this attitude? Oh, I forgot, the US is (leaving) Iraq, got out of many other places and is still the world's largest colonial owner. (Yes, it is true, folks. Just count 'em.)
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