School Days

Bob Hubbach c. 1961

Sometimes the most innovative and futuristic ideas come from designers before they’re on a corporate payroll - having their ideas compromised and shaped by budgets and engineering practicalities.

Ben Delphia - 1964

Detroit looked to the handful of transportation design programs across the country to recruit the best and brightest available. Perhaps the most recognized of these specialized programs was at the Art Center School in Los Angeles, CA.

Art Center College c. 1958

Art Center alumni make up a lengthy who’s who of car design history including Gordon Buehrig, Dick Teague, Syd Mead, and Larry Shinoda.

Bob Adomeit c. 1958

Other notable design schools were the Pratt Institute in New York City, Cleveland Institute of Art, Notre Dame University and the Detroit Institute of Automobile Styling correspondence course developed by Harley Earl and Richard Arbib.

John Aiken - 1957

The first successful automobile styling program was adapted from carriage design by my art collection’s namesake, Andrew F. Johnson. Many of Johnson’s students were auto industry pioneers including three of the Fisher Brothers, William Durant, Charles Nash, George Mercer, Herman Brunn and Ray Dietrich.

Otto Wuerful - 1949

John R. Jungwirth - 1951

Here’s a look at more of the student projects in the Andrew F. Johnson Gallery.

Joe Sohn - 1957

Glen Winterscheidt - 1957

Art Gerstenberger - 1967