The Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance released the commemorative posters for the 2012 event, in addition to the Pebble Beach Tour d’Elegance and Pebble Beach RetroAuto.
The tradition of creating these posters dates back more than 60 years to the first Pebble Beach Road Race and Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance held in 1950. Artists are now commissioned to paint them, and they generally showcase automobiles related to the annual features for each Concours.
Coachwork by Jacques Saoutchik is among this year’s features, so the main 2012 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance poster displays automotive artist Jay Koka’s image of William “Chip” Connor’s Saoutchik-bodied 1936 Hispano-Suiza J12 Cabriolet posed in front of The Lodge at Pebble Beach.
“The car was undergoing a major restoration and was literally in pieces when I started working on the painting,” explains Koka. “Many details had not yet been finalized as the car was being returned to its original production specifications. So, in a sense, the painting existed before the car.”
Koka, a member of the Automotive Fine Arts Society, was initially known for his realist style and technical approach, but halfway through his career, his work began to exhibit a notable disregard for detail and an emphasis on texture, form and color. Realism and impressionism now often exist side by side in his work. He says his poster painting is “much more realist in style” but uses impressionist colors and techniques. “I believe its subject and style embodies the classic elegance of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.”
The 2012 Pebble Beach Tour d’Elegance poster, painted by artist Barry Rowe, depicts the excitement of early road races with an image that features Bruce and Jolene McCaw’s 1908 Benz Prince Heinrich Two Seat Race Car speeding past another car (a Stutz) near Bixby Bridge in Big Sur. Rowe, who is a master of light and shadow, has created the art for more Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance and Pebble Beach Tour d’Elegance posters than anyone else. Like Koka, he is a member of the AFAS.
The 2012 Pebble Beach RetroAuto poster, by Tim Layzell, celebrates the 50th anniversary of the AC (Shelby) Cobra, created when the legendary Carroll Shelby paired an AC Ace with a Ford V8. Always true to the history and heritage of motor racing, Layzell paints with an eye to super-realism and fine detail while maintaining an element of nostalgia. The majority of Layzell’s work focuses on races, race cars and drivers from the 1930s to the 1970s, so he was perfectly suited to portray the Cobra.
Layzell’s painting for the Tour poster will be sold to the highest bidder at the Pebble Beach Auctions presented by Gooding & Company on Sunday, August 19, and all three posters will be available for purchase at both Pebble Beach RetroAuto and the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.
Pebble Beach Resorts and the Monterey Peninsula in California thrive each August as the center of the motoring universe. Pebble Beach automotive events traditionally culminate with the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, held this year on Sunday, August 19. In addition to Saoutchik Coachwork and AC (Shelby) Cobras, the features for 2012 include Cars of the Maharajas, Mercer, Fiat, Sport Customs Cars and German Motorcycles.
Festivities begin on Wednesday, August 15, with the arrival of the Pebble Beach Motoring Classic, a group of approximately 25 automobiles that have journeyed more than 1,500 miles from Seattle, Washington, to participate in events of the week. On Thursday, August 16, close to 150 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance entrants take to the road for the Pebble Beach Tour d’Elegance presented by Rolex, offering spectators a chance to view these unique creations as they strive to earn an advantage in Concours class judging and compete for the Elegance in Motion Trophy. Pebble Beach RetroAuto opens that same day as do manufacturer exhibits featuring several new car and concept debuts.
For more information, visit www.pebblebeachconcours.net.
[Source: Pebble Beach Concours]
