Paul Galloway (MFA 2004) co-curated the exhibition Automania at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), along with curators Juliet Kinchin and Andrew Gardner. 

“Automania takes an in-depth look at an object that has inspired countless examples of innovation, social transformation, and critical debate among designers and artists working in varied media. This exhibition addresses the conflicted feelings—compulsion, fixation, desire, and rage—that developed in response to cars and car culture in the 20th century. Examining automobiles as both modern industrial products and style icons, it also explores their adverse impact on roads and streets, public health, and the planet’s ecosystems.”  

In this online edition of MoMA’s ArtSpeaks program, Paul Galloway talks about the Volkswagen Beetle - unexpected design success, countercultural icon, and a personal symbol of joy, adventure, family, and remembrance.

Paul Galloway is the Collection Specialist for the Architecture and Design department at the Museum of Modern Art, where he coordinates the growth and management of the collection and oversees research through the A&D Study Center. During his thirteen year tenure, Galloway has pioneered and codified the process for acquiring complex works of commercial software, coordinated ambitious conservation projects, co-organized exhibitions, administered the department’s loan program, and shepherded the acquisition of over 6,000 objects into the collection. As both a writer and as a regular speaker at museums, conferences, and universities, Galloway has made the celebration of digital creativity a personal mission.

In addition to his position at MoMA, Galloway also teaches art history at the City University of New York. He has been awarded research grants from the Art Matters Foundation and the Robert V. Storr Research and Travel Fund.

The exhibition will be on view through January 2, 2022.

Top Image: Ferdinand Porsche, Volkswagen Type 1 Sedan, designed 1938 (this example 1959)