Modern Treads: The Discount Tire Poster Collection presents 15 oversized posters from approximately 1900 to 1930 that celebrate industrial innovation and the growing popularity of the automobile. Following the urbanization of Paris, industry giants such as Michelin, Dunlop, Continental, Pirelli, and Goodyear followed the footsteps of talented lithographers and recognized posters as an effective form of communication. Drawn exclusively from the Collection of Discount Tire, the posters trace both artistic innovation and industrial transformation.

Unfolding across four overarching themes, the exhibition reveals how artists played a vital role in shaping the imagery and ideals of a rapidly modernizing world. Through bold graphics, luminous color, and innovative storytelling, Modern Treads highlights the surprising relationship between rubber manufacturing and modern art. Tire companies turned to artists working in styles ranging from classical antiquity to movements such as Art Nouveau, Art Deco, and Impressionism to create compelling advertising imagery. The Golden Radius focuses on the symbolic power of the tire within a culture driven by speed, mobility, and aspiration. Advertisements framed tires as gateways to freedom and exploration, encouraging viewers to envision journeys across real and imaginative terrain.