ROBERT OPRON, automobile and art

Robert Opron (1932) is considered to be one of the most influential and successful stylists and designers of automobiles. He has conceived, designed, drawn and shaped miraculous little city-cars as well as practical and charming medium-range cars, luxurious and sturdy sports cars, handy and smart agricultural vehicles, even functional French (city) buses have all been produced under his supervision. He has designed automobiles for both ordinary people and for the happy few, for young and old: cars with a sense of humour, with classical lines, dynamics and streamlining, simplicity and luxury. Designing vehicles has been his passion for over fifty years.

Robert Opron is also a gifted artist and architect. It is rare nowadays to find that one man has mastered the combination of technical knowledge and skills, artistic curiosity and aesthetic/artistic sensitivity. This intelligent, lively and humorous Frenchman is a craftsman who commands general respect. Robert Opron is an ‘auto-didact’ (self-taught man) in the most literal sense of the word. He observes volumes, lines and colours, and thinks about future means of transport. He studies art, culture and technology, takes classes as well as giving them. He takes part in discussions with colleagues, and with people who have a keen sense of art and culture. He is tenacious in his pursuit of the ideal solution and shape. He speaks with his team members, with erudite people and with the ordinary users of ‘his’ products. Ex-colleagues carried out assignments given by him, and developed their skills under his strict supervision. He looks and thinks; he talks and draws. Passionately and driven. Why? ‘To make people a little happier’ with his creations, as he once put it. The profession of industrial designer is as demanding today as it was fifty years ago. To Robert Opron it is a highly intriguing profession, pursued with passion, right to this day.

Robert Opron makes surprising and highly actual statements about human transportation by means of vehicles. A journalist once characterized Opron’s observations as ‘fit for a gold frame’. His, often unusual, metaphors and contradictions entice people to listen, to achieve. Journalists express their admiration in their articles, while his colleagues and all other designers no doubt have their own views. Nowadays, countless admirers collect and cherish many of Opron’s creations.

‘Robert Opron, automobile and art, gives a good impression of Opron’s vast oeuvre and his work methods. Opron’s restless and creative mind is born out by his fascinating career that was marked by the usual professional highs and lows, but always retained a surprising and sparkling continuity.

‘First come the words, then the drawings, and finally the models’. This book gives a well organized impression of both. For the first time, the views of the professional Robert Opron are highlighted, as well as the circumstances of his work for a number of car manufacturers. This book was written for designers, stylists, artists and numerous admirers of Opron’s work for Simca, Citroen, Renault/AMC, Fiat/Alfa Romeo and Ligier. It shows an important part of his oeuvre and that of the colleagues he supervised. This book’s concise description of the profession of automobile designer is accessible to a wide audience. The characteristic ‘overtures’ of Robert Opron’s ‘compositions’ are included here, as these early work experiences have had a great impact on his development as a designer. Opron worked as an architect, technical draughtsman and stylist for a sugar factory, for the aviation industry, and for Arthur Martin (design bureau for furniture, bathroom elements and domestic appliances). This book also includes some of Robert Opron’s free-style work, because global art and culture have been a rich source of inspiration for the artist Opron. The automobile and art: only a small distance apart.

Peter I. Pijlman, author of ‘Robert Opron, automobile and art’, has previously written other books, including children’s books, and policy documents for local and national educational authorities in The Netherlands. Pijlman is well respected amongst enthusiasts of automobile literature, and he has written numerous articles about Robert Opron and his work. Pijlman acquired professional acclaim with his books about the Citroen SM: ‘The Diva’ and ‘Sa Majesté’ (Her Majesty).

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