Beaumont photographer Brandon Gouthier debuts his exhibition “Lipstick and Grease,” celebrating vintage car culture and honoring his late father.
BEAUMONT, Texas — Beaumont photographer Brandon Gouthier is celebrating his first exhibition with a community reception Friday at the Art Museum of Southeast Texas.
The reception for “Lipstick and Grease” is scheduled from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 7, in the Café Arts wing of the Art Museum of Southeast Texas at 500 Main St. in downtown Beaumont. The exhibition will remain on display through Aug. 23.
The collection features photographs documenting vintage car and motorcycle culture in Texas and Las Vegas, Nevada. The photographs focus on the people surrounding the culture as well as classic cars and motorcycles.
The exhibition includes images of 1950s-style cars and motorcycles and people dressed in clothing inspired by the era. Women are photographed in pin-up or pencil dresses with bright red lipstick, while men wear cuffed shirts and pants, boots and slicked-back hair.
Gouthier dedicated the collection to his late father, Will Gouthier Jr., a classic car enthusiast and amateur photographer who died in October after battling Alzheimer’s disease.
Gouthier grew up attending drag strips and visiting neighborhood garages where his father and his friends worked on vintage cars and motorcycles. Those experiences helped shape his appreciation for the craftsmanship behind the vehicles featured in his work.
Gouthier has been a familiar name in local photography for decades. His “Out & About” photographs first appeared in The Examiner’s second issue in 1996, nearly 30 years ago.
He initially studied engineering before changing career paths and pursuing photography. His transition was influenced by photographer Keith Carter, who welcomed Gouthier into an advanced undergraduate photography class at Lamar University.
“Lipstick and Grease” marks Gouthier’s first exhibition and brings together his interest in photography, vintage vehicles and the culture surrounding them.