The Goddess – La Déesse

At its launch in 1955, the Citroën DS was a sensation and a magnet for designers, philosophers, and politicians alike. No other automobile was able to combine form and technology so coherently and seemingly effortlessly. Radical in its implementation and revolutionary in terms of comfort and safety, the DS is one of the most innovative design icons of the 20th century.

Carefully arranged picture series and drawings by Flaminio Bertoni and the Citroën design team, for example of the body, the chassis and the legendary hydraulics, illustrate the essay. Using advertising images Sumi critically analyzes, in both a contemporary and a philosophical context, the iconization and reception of the Citroën DS, as well as the theories arising from this phenomenon.