The artist's beautiful illuminated glass and metal sculpture cossets the brand's iconic GT
Anthony James x Aston Martin Vanquish
The artist’s beautiful illuminated glass and metal sculpture cossets the brand’s iconic GT
A beautiful car demands distance: step back, take it in from bow to stern, and soak up the entirety of it for maximum effect—proportion, stance and all.
When Aston Martin commissioned Anthony James to collaborate on their new Vanquish, all the sculptor initially saw of the car was a sketch. But when the full-scale rolling model was shipped to his LA studio, he savored the luxury of space and time. “I probably spent three months with the car before I took it to my team,” he told us at the unveiling of his collaborative sculpture at the Chateau Marmont ahead of Frieze LA.
At first blush, James’ signature style of geometric metal, mirror, and LED-lit sculpture is anathema to automotive aesthetics, which work primarily on a horizontal scale. The Aston Martin Vanquish’s faceted muscularity presents an even more complicated contradiction; the sculptor’s signature rectilinear creations work within an entirely different design language than the flowing form of a V12-powered grand touring coupé. To merge those two antipodes, James pored over the mockup and examined it from all angles, noting features, taking measurements, and considering the possibilities. “I just allow myself to be experimental,” he says of his process. “I feel like if there’s art to be had and I experiment, I love to repeat [that] until I eventually take it to my team.”
Anthony James’ sculpture encases a 4,000-lb, true-to-life model of the Vanquish within a 6,000-lb carapace of metal, glass, mirror and lights. At first glance, it appears an alien deposited an 18-foot-long vehicle transporter. While typical James sculptures incorporate a kaleidoscopic infinity of mirrored reflections, this work’s massive stainless steel structure interplays with the vehicle in the way a Cubist painting simultaneously represents multiple perspectives. James’ commentary supports that theory. “My intent was to show the car from every angle,” he explains, “so I wanted to celebrate the design of the car from every single possibility, whether above or below—every corner.” James suggests that, in a way, the overlay of his structure forces a different perspective on the sheetmetal below. “I want to show the process of how I almost made it disappear, so the viewer can just enjoy what the philosophy or poetry of the object is, not just about how it was fabricated.”
The resulting visual experience delivers flashes of intrigue: Move alongside the sculpture and you’ll catch glimpses of the Vanquish beneath, highlit by the discreet glow of LEDs within the structure which are filtered through a bespoke diffuser. Departing from his usual palette, James gave a hat tip to Aston Martin’s signature color by imbuing a hint of green to the cast of light.
“I was particularly fond of the back of the car,” James continues. “I think the back is masterful; it’s a flat back, and it alludes— to me, anyway, of race history. So if there is one hero moment of my sculpture, it’s the back end.”
Aston Martin design director Miles Nurnberger says the union with James came together naturally, starting with a sculpture that’s featured at the brand’s Q New York flagship location. Having worked in the past with everyone from photographer Rankin to artists Robi Walters and Romero Britto, there are certainly more automotive/artist collaborations to come.
“No one needs one of our cars except for the real emotional value it gives them; if they want to get from A to B, there’s plenty of other vehicles that they could purchase,” Nurnberger adds. “So why Aston? Because you can see the love and care and obsession that’s been put into them; it’s about as close to art in our industrial context that we have.”