Cadillac Impressions

Holger Mühlenbeck is a detailed-obsessed Cadillac fan. But rather than depicting the old-timers’ breathtaking size, he is interested in the sculptural beauty of the 1950s models’ singularly classic elements. In his photographs the chrome-covered tail fins and the rear wheels artfully half-covered in chrome work are transformed into abstract design objects.

In stylistically perfect compositions, Mühlenbeck’s eye follows the singular technical forms that embodied the American dream of progress and wealth. Cadillac wrote automotive history when it first installed 16-cylender engines in its Model 452. The legend continued to include the inaugural column gear shift and the three-seater front seat; the unmistakable tail fins marked the pinnacle after WWII and soon became Cadillac’s trademark. 1953 saw the launch of the Eldorado, long unsurpassed in the automotive market thanks to its perfect provisions: the technical finesse of electric windows, radios with automatic search functions, and electrically adjustable seats. The Eldorado is also one of Mühlenbeck’s personal favorites.

There is hardly a movie in Hollywood’s that doesn’t feature the main character behind the wheel of a Cadillac, invaluable advertising for the brand both at home and in the world. Mühlenbeck captures these idealized images in the perfect color combinations of the seats and the bodywork. His breathtakingly detailed shots of the Eldorado’s red-and-white stripes of varnish and leather perfectly unite the car’s sculptural attributes and shiny surfaces.

His photos are like puzzle pieces of the old luxury cars with their boxy bodies and over-sized girths, giant wheelbases and fancy chrome work. What antique car lover doesn’t long for a Sedan DeVille or Eldorado in his garage to fulfill those Grease dreams? Mühlenbeck imbues the serial product with a special individuality and symbolism.

Mühlenbeck’s photographic oeuvre is multifaceted and his works can be seen in numerous international collections, such as the royal collection of Den Haag. His photographs have also been shown at Berlin’s Neue Nationalgalerie and the Van der Heydt Museum in Wuppertal, Germany.

Christina Wendenburg