“Cadillactus,” Roger Reutimann, 2024. Stainless steel, automotive paint, reproduction taillights. Installed at Tahquitz Canyon Way, Palm Springs, CA.
Like a mirage, the genius of Roger Reutimann’s newest installation becomes clearer the closer one gets to it. At first, it appears to be a simple cactus, its spiny arms rising out of the Californian desert. Approach it more and a metallic sheen and red lights begin to emerge. Even the installation’s name is a play on its hybrid identity. Nestled on Tahquitz Canyon Way in Palm Springs is the Cadillactus, a playful yet sleek homage to the city’s creative heritage.
As its name suggests, the artwork seamlessly combines the form of a cactus and the mechanical elements of a Cadillac, complete with a stainless steel surface that reflects the desert light with ease. Its clever conceit is enough to turn heads; but, then again, Cadillactus also towers at a height of 16 feet, impossible to miss as cars rush past from the heart of downtown Palm Springs to the airport.
To fully evoke the Cadillac, Reutimann relied upon reproductions of its 1959 taillights and radiant automotive paint. These visual techniques not only reinforce the sculpture’s vehicular profile, but also recall car manufacturing as a whole, with industrial processes such as powder coating and metallic patinas being incorporated throughout. By night, the Cadillac’s iconic taillights flash red, reminiscent of a cactus flower in bloom, striking another delicate balance between the sculpture’s organic and mechanized aesthetics.
Cadillactus is more than merely a “visual pun,” according to Reutimann. It also celebrates Palm Springs and its indelible connection to midcentury design. Throughout the postwar era, the city offered a vibrant and rugged landscape upon which artists and architects alike tested the boundaries of their crafts. Desert modernism quickly came to define Palm Springs, where visionaries such as Richard Neutra, Albert Frey, E. Stewart Williams, and Donald Wexler designed buildings that responded to the vastness of the desert and the optimism that characterized the mid-20th century. For the first time after repeated global upheavals, the future seemed bright, and technology a force to be reckoned with rather than ignored or feared.
Within this broader context, Cadillactus is a fascinating reminder of California’s modernist movement, especially as it unfolded in and around Palm Springs.
“Palm Springs is globally revered for its passion for modernist design,” Reutimann says. “Cars, furniture, architecture—they all reflect a timeless aesthetic. Cadillactus is my way of capturing that legacy and letting it bloom, quite literally, as a part of the local landscape.”
To learn more about the artist, visit Roger Reutimann’s website.
As its name suggests, Cadillactus by Swiss-American artist Roger Reutimann is a clever amalgamation of a cactus and a 1959 Cadillac.
The sculpture, which is nestled on a busy road in Palm Springs, evokes natural and vehicular elements to celebrate the city’s rich heritage and its midcentury modern design.
Roger Reutimann: Website | Instagram
My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by Roger Reutimann.
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