Cadillac Ranch is an eccentric public art installation that was built in 1974 by the wealthy Stanley Marsh 3, who did not like the Roman numeral III and considered it pretentious. In collaboration with the San Francisco art collective, The Ant Farm, Marsh financed the placement of ten Cadillacs, each covered in graffiti, that are half-buried in a field in Texas. The cars are positioned nose-down, facing west, and arranged at the same angle as the pyramids in Giza. In 1997, the cars were moved two miles further away from the city to escape urban expansion.
Cadillac Ranch is open to the public at all hours and visitors are encouraged to leave their mark by graffiti-ing the cars. Over the years, the cars have undergone multiple makeovers, like an all-pink paint job in 2005 to honor breast cancer victims, or black and yellow in memory of one of Marsh’s friends. The Ranch is dotted with colorful artistic road signs, stealing them is strongly discouraged and Marsh was known to jail thieves in a nearby chicken coop.
Cadillac Ranch is considered to be the inspiration for other similar art pieces such as the nearby VW Slug Bug Ranch and Combine City, and Carhenge located in Alliance, Nebraska.
In Pixar’s 2006 animated film “Cars,” the Cadillac Range is portrayed as a mountain formation.
Cadillac Ranch is easily visible from the highway, even though it’s situated on private land. Although visiting is technically trespassing, it is unofficially accepted, visitors can drive along a frontage road, park their vehicle and walk through an unlocked gate to access the pasture and see the artwork.
Address:
Interstate 40
Amarillo, Texas, 79124
United States
Photos by depositphotos.com
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