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Cadillac Ranch

Cadillac Ranch is a public art installation and sculpture in Amarillo, Texas, US. Created in 1974 by Chip Lord, Hudson Marquez, and Doug Michels as part of the art group Ant Farm, it consists of a row of ten Cadillacs buried nose-first in the ground. The cars, which date from 1949 to 1963, were older running, used, or junk vehicles that span successive generations of the Cadillac line and its tailfin evolution. According to Visit Amarillo, the cars are inclined at the same angle as the pyramids of Giza.

Cadillac Ranch cars covered in graffiti stand buried nose-first in a flat dirt field under a clear blue sky.
Cadillac Ranch’s buried Cadillacs are covered in layers of spray paint in the Texas panhandle.
© · Public domain
Cadillac Ranch with several vintage car bodies buried nose-down and covered in colorful graffiti.
Cadillac Ranch’s line of buried vintage cars stands out against a dry landscape under a cloudy sky.
May 2012 © katsrcool · CC BY 2.0
Colorful spray-painted vintage cars buried nose-first at Cadillac Ranch under a blue sky.
Cadillac Ranch’s iconic buried Cadillacs are covered in layers of bright spray paint.
December 2011 © · CC BY 2.0
Cadillac Ranch with several vintage Cadillacs buried nose-down in a dusty field and covered in colorful graffiti.
Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo, with the iconic buried Cadillacs covered in layers of spray paint.
December 2011 © · CC BY-SA 2.0
Graffitied Cadillac Ranch car tailfin with a red heart reading \
A colorful, paint-covered Cadillac Ranch tailfin marked with a red heart and the words \"Caution Wet Paint.\"
April 2016 © · CC BY-SA 4.0

Identification

TitleCadillac Ranch
Typepublic art installation and monumental sculpture

Historical context

Creation date1974

Creator

ArtistsAnt Farm (Chip Lord, Hudson Marquez, and Doug Michels)
Artists' backgroundChip Lord and Hudson Marquez were architects; Doug Michels was an art student at Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana
Artists' group originSan Francisco

Discovery and provenance

Relocation reasonTo place it farther from the boundaries of the growing city
RelocationMoved in 1997 about two miles (three kilometers) west to a cow pasture along Interstate 40, outside the growing city
Original siteA wheat field
Land ownershipThe site belonged to Stanley Marsh 3; ownership later appears to have transferred to his family trust before his June 2014 death
Commissioning contactIn 1972, the group was given a list of eccentric millionaires in San Francisco that led them to Stanley Marsh 3 of Amarillo
Funding and patronFinanced by Stanley Marsh 3, who also provided the land
InspirationThe Look of Cars, including the rise and fall of the tail fin

Physical characteristics

Number of carsTen
Vehicle typeCadillac automobiles
Model years represented1948 to 1963
ArrangementTen Cadillacs buried nose-first in a straight east-west line, half-buried at an oblique angle and spaced about five meters apart
Angle referenceThe cars are set at the same angle as the faces of the Great Pyramid of Khufu at Giza
OrientationEast-west alignment, parallel to the road

Materials

Original colorsTurquoise, banana yellow, gold, sky blue, white, and pastel blue
Car sourceBought from salvage yards or private owners in the Amarillo region
Vehicle condition at acquisitionUsed, running, or junk cars
MaterialsSecond-hand Cadillac cars

Technique

Construction methodThe cars were dug into ten holes with identical depth and angles using a backhoe; hubcaps were attached and the wheels were later welded to the axles
Acquisition costBought for a few hundred dollars each

Appearance

Visual formA row of ten wrecked Cadillacs planted in the ground so they appear to be growing from it
Current conditionThe cars have lost their original colors and are heavily covered in graffiti and repainting
VisibilityVisible from the highway

Location and ownership

SettingA flat, semi-desert cattle pasture on the Great Plains of the central United States
Distance from AmarilloAbout five kilometers west of Amarillo
Public accessVisitors are tacitly encouraged to enter from the frontage road through an unlocked gate
LocationPotter County, Texas, near Amarillo, on private land along the former Route 66 and current Interstate 40

Iconography and meaning

SymbolismEvokes the golden age of the American automobile, the postwar economic boom, freedom associated with cars, and roadside attraction culture
Tailfin meaningThe ten models represent the evolution of Cadillac tailfins and the rise and decline of tailfin styling
Interpretive contextsAssociated with land art, street art, pop art, prehistoric megalithic alignments, and the hippie rejection of consumer society and traditional values

History and restoration

Public interactionVisitors have long been encouraged to add graffiti and paint to the cars
Damage and theftWindows were broken and radios, loudspeakers, and some doors were stolen over time
Repainting historyThe cars have been periodically repainted for various occasions, including original-color restorations, a white repaint for a television commercial, pink for Wendy's birthday, black for Doug Michels, rainbow colors for LGBTQ pride events, and black with 'Black Lives Matter' in 2020 to protest police brutality and George Floyd's killing
Hampton Inn repaintBriefly restored to their original colors by Hampton Inn as part of a Route 66 landmark restoration campaign, but graffiti returned within less than 24 hours

Significance

Associated artist groupAnt Farm
ComparisonOften compared with other car-based artworks, but not the first to use cars; César made crushed-car works in the late 1960s

Other

Portuguese nameFazenda do Cadillac