On the Road Again: Saint Louis Art Museum Explores America Through the Lens of the Road Trip

The automobile and the camera, twin pillars of 20th-century innovation, irrevocably shaped modern American life and artistic expression. The Saint Louis Art Museum’s latest exhibition, “In Search of America: Photography and the Road Trip,” delves into this profound connection, showcasing how the act of traveling by car across the vast American landscape became a powerful catalyst for photographic discovery and a lens through which to understand the nation’s evolving identity.

Running from May 2 to October 19, 2025, the exhibition, curated by Eric Lutz, brings together over 100 works, many drawn from the museum’s own collection, to explore the enduring legacy of the road trip in American photography. It highlights artists whose creative vision was significantly mediated by the experience of car travel, revealing how the open road served as both subject and muse.

The Open Road as a Canvas

The concept of the road trip is deeply ingrained in the American psyche, symbolizing freedom, possibility, escape, and self-discovery. Since the advent of widespread automobile ownership and the development of the nation’s highway systems, traversing the country has become a quintessential American experience. Photography, with its ability to capture fleeting moments and enduring landscapes, naturally became intertwined with this cultural phenomenon. From family vacation snapshots to ambitious artistic projects, images taken on the road offer a unique chronicle of American life, its diverse geography, and its changing social fabric.

This exhibition traces this narrative, illustrating how photographers ventured across the United States with the express purpose of making art. These journeys allowed them to confront clichés, explore the nuances of place, and reflect on the essence of America itself. The works on display span the 20th century and extend into the present day, demonstrating the sustained fascination photographers have with the rise of road culture and its impact on the american landscape and its inhabitants.

Documenting an Evolving Nation

“In Search of America” prominently features seminal works by artists who defined photographic road trips. Photographers like Walker Evans, Dorothea Lange, and Lee Friedlander are celebrated for their profound documentation during critical periods, including the Depression era. Their images captured the stark realities of hardship, the resilience of communities, and the often-overlooked corners of american culture encountered along dusty roads and in roadside diners. These works are not merely documentary; they are deeply humanistic portraits of a nation in flux.

Robert Frank’s groundbreaking series “The Americans” is a cornerstone of the exhibition, representing a pivotal moment where the road trip became a vehicle for critical social commentary and artistic introspection. Frank’s candid, often unvarnished, views of American life offered a new perspective, challenging prevailing notions of the American dream and highlighting its complexities. Other significant figures such as Edward Weston and Stephen Shore also contributed vital perspectives on the american experience through their travels.

Early Explorations and Enduring Themes

Beyond the well-known masters, the exhibition also shines a light on pioneering work, including a significant display by Emil Otto Hoppé. His extensive travels in 1926 resulted in what is considered one of the first comprehensive photographic surveys of the American landscape, predating many of the more famous road trip projects. Hoppé’s images capture a rapidly modernizing America, from bustling cities to vast natural wonders, offering an early glimpse into the country’s scale and diversity.

The exhibition further explores recurring themes such as the allure of roadside culture – the motels, gas stations, and unique vernacular architecture that dot the American highway – as well as the utopian impulses driving escape and the magnetic pull of landscapes like the desert Southwest. These elements, whether celebrated or critiqued, form an integral part of the photographic narrative of the road trip.

A Continuous Journey

“In Search of America: Photography and the Road Trip” is more than a historical survey; it is a testament to the enduring power of the road trip as a metaphor for exploration, both external and internal. The exhibition reminds us that the desire to move, to see, and to understand the vastness of the american continent continues to fuel creative endeavors. Through the eyes of these photographers, visitors are invited to embark on their own visual journey, discovering the myriad ways the automobile and the road have shaped our understanding of ourselves and the nation we inhabit. The show also includes related programming, such as a curated playlist of road trip songs and an art-making station for creating travel journals, further immersing visitors in the spirit of the exhibition and its connection to american culture. This exhibition offers a compelling look at how, for generations, the act of driving has been synonymous with the act of searching for, and defining, America itself.