Lalique Automotive Art | KTLA

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Gayle Anderson was live in Oxnard because the Mullin Automotive Museum has released a newest
book entitled, LALIQUE AUTOMOTIVE ART. This book celebrates the unique art of French glass
master Ren Lalique. Lalique Automotive Art was written by Vicki A. Mack with Peter W. Mullin,
Chairman of the Mullin Automotive Museum. Patrick Mullin photographed the stunning Lalique hood
mascots for the book.
Born in 1860, Ren Lalique won his first art award for drawing at age 12. At 16, he earned an
apprenticeship with Parisian jeweler and goldsmith to the royals and wealthy, Louis Aucoc. After his
apprenticeship, Lalique launched a short-lived trade magazine for French jewelers. By marrying well
and selling jewelry designs to Cartier, Boucheron and others, Lalique was able to buy an existing
jewelry workshop at age 20.
Lalique eventually transitioned from designer to creator. He experimented with pte de verre, a
process that involves mixing finely ground glass with a binding material into a paste. The compound
is smoothed into a mold, then fired. Lalique combined this glass technique with metals and precious
stones to create stunning jewelry. British actress Sarah Bernhardt often wore Lalique jewelry on
stage and in public.
Lalique eventually gained acclaim for his entirely glass objects. Using cire perdue (lost wax) casting,
he was able to make molds of actual objects and create one-of-a-kind glass pieces. These included
perfume and wine bottles, statues and lamp shades.
Lalique eventually gained acclaim for his entirely glass objects. Using cire perdue (lost wax) casting,
he was able to make molds of actual objects and create one-of-a-kind glass pieces. These included
perfume and wine bottles, statues and lamp shades.
Glass has a wonderful substance, Ren Lalique wrote. Everything makes it an incomparable plastic
medium in the hands of an ingenious artist, offering his imagination and talent almost limitless scope
for discovery.
Laliques automotive debut coincided with the birth of the Art Deco movement. Citron commissioned
him to do a glass hood mascot for the unveiling of their 5CV: a five-horse hood ornament as an
extension of the cars designation, Cinq Cheveaux (five horses). The car was featured at the 1925
Exposition des Art Dcoratifs et Industriels Modernes in Paris, the event that is generally considered
the birth of Art Deco.
The 112-page Lalique Automotive Art book chronicles Laliques growth as an artist, from jewelry
designer through Art Noveau and eventually to his press-molded glass factory that employed about
600 workers. The book focuses on how pre-war Art Deco French cars with their sweeping curves
became rolling canvases for Laliques hood ornaments. Photographer Patrick Mullin documents 30
Lalique hood mascots, lighting each to highlight the curves and details of the glass.
Laliques genius was recognized and celebrated through his now-famous and highly collectible
perfume bottles, glass bowls, vases, architectural panels, and through extraordinary automotive

mascots, said co-author Peter W. Mullin. Hood ornaments and mascots helped these vehicles stand
apart and in many cases were handcrafted, so focusing on this one unique aspect of automotive art
has been both rewarding and enlightening. We were proud to debut this book at Pebble Beach
during Monterey Car Week, as we celebrate the worlds finest automobiles and the craftsmen,
engineers and artists who created them.
To learn more about Lalique Automotive Art, and all the books published by The Mullin Automotive
Museum (including The Art of Bugatti, La Vision de Voisin and Vitesse - lgance), visit their website
or call (805) 385-5400.
Mullin Automotive Museum
1421 Emerson Avenue
Oxnard, CA 93033
(805) 385-5400
If you have questions, please feel free to call Gayle Anderson at323-460-5732or e-mail Gayle
atGayle.Anderson@KTLA.com