Last weekend we went to the Rembrandt/Dutch masters exhibit at Phoenix Art Museum,

which even has an audio tour that goes with it: You hold these big

phones and punch buttons when you stand in front of certain paintings,

and the narrator discusses facts and points out things you might not

have seen otherwise.There are two audio programs, one for adults

and one for kids. After a while we decided we’d just listen to the

kids’ one. I think it was in front of the picture of a still life: The

adult audio had the narrator’s introduction, a guest curator discussing

techniques and symbolism and way too many names pronounced inauthentic

Dutch accents; the kids one started off with, "Wow! That’s a lot of

fruit!"

Anyway — and bear with me now, there’s a train-of-thought thing going on here — they had a few cars on display as a preview of the "Curves of Steel" exhibit, and while we appreciated the Dutch masters, we enjoyed the automobiles more. I mean, look at this 1939 Delahaye Roadster. Beautiful! And we practically crawled over the ropes to get a look inside the Stout Scarab, with its forward/backward-facing seats.

And then we walked through the Fashion Design Gallery for the end of the "After Dark" exhibit of evening wear. But starting Saturday, that exhibit will be replaced by a companion exhibit to "Curves of Steel."

"Automotivated" takes a look at the streamlining of clothing, directly and indirectly inspired by the similar trends in the automobile industry. You’ll see everything from the dusters worn by drivers of the first cars to elegant outfits by French designers in the 1930s, who worked in tandem with automobile designers to create a whole lifestyle that had the same feel. (This smart ensemble from Lanvin is part of the exhibit, which runs through Sept. 2.)

A group of us are going back in mid-April next Tuesday night, when admission is free and the museum is open until 9 p.m. (Update: Museum admission is free, but you still pay for destination exhibits like Rembrandt and "Curves of Steel.")

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