Flat Out Exhibit at the Petersen Museum Blurs Reality

The Petersen Automotive Museum’s latest exhibit, “Flat Out,” moves cars and auto body panels into the gallery spotlight with a stark black-and-white finish. Installed in the Armand Hammer Foundation Gallery on the museum’s ground floor—an area that’s typically used for art displays—the collection features work by Los Angeles artist Joshua Vides. The museum says the monochrome treatment turns ordinary objects and environments into high-contrast scenes that blur the line between reality and illustration. The presentation keeps the vehicles recognizable while pushing them into a graphic, art-first context, aligning the Petersen’s automotive focus with contemporary visual storytelling.