BMW-Art-Cars

BMW ART CARS.

ROLLING WORKS OF ART.

BMW ART CARS.

ROLLING WORKS OF ART.

BMW Art Cars.ROLLING WORKS OF ART.
2017.11.10

Art meets technology: The BMW Museum is the home of the BMW Art Car collection, to which important artists from around the world have contributed since 1975. The collection contains 19 cars, of which at least one is always on display in Munich. Nine of these cars have been used for racing and have not only fascinated fans with their design, but some of them also through sporting success. It all started at the initiative of racing driver and art lover, Hervé Poulain. He convinced his artist friend Alexander Calder to unite art and sport on a racing car. BMW provided the BMW 3.0 CSL as the objet d'art and paid for the mechanics and accommodation at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, in which the first Art Car competed. But BMW relinquished the sponsoring. The artist was responsible for the design of the car. In 2017 two exhibits were added to the collection: two BMW M6 GT3s became the fastest works of art in the world. Here's an overview of all of the BMW Art Cars in racing action.

BMW 3.0 CSL
BMW 3.0 CSL
1975

#1: BMW 3.0 CLS

Race debut - 24h Le Mans

Alexander Calder used only primary colours to paint the car, which he distributed in large areas and with curved lines. The changing colour scheme of the individual elements and shapes gives the impression that the car is moving.

 

BMW 3.0 CLS - 1976

"MY DESIGN IS LIKE A BLUEPRINT THAT WAS TRANSFERRED ONTO THE CHASSIS." FRANK STELLA

1976

#2: BMW 3.0 CLS

Race debut - 24h Le Mans

Frank Stella designed a black and white square grid for the chassis, which resembles oversized graph paper.

 

Art Car Roy Lichtenstein
1977

#3: BMW 320I

Race debut - 24h Le Mans

Roy Lichtenstein's famous comic strip style was reflected on the car. "With the painted lines, I wanted to represent the road that shows the car where to go. The design also shows the landscape that the car has driven through," said Lichtenstein.

BMW M1 Art Car, Andy Warhol
BMW M1 Art Car, Andy Warhol
1979

#4: BMW M1

Race debut - 24h Le Mans

"I attempted to represent speed visually," said Andy Warhol describing the bright and colourful Art Car. "When a car is driving really fast, all of the lines and colours become blurred." And the 470 hp racing car with a six-cylinder engine was definitely fast.

BMW M3 Art Car

TONY LONGHURST WON THE AUSTRALIAN AMSCAR CHAMPIONSHIP WITH THE BMW M3, WHICH LATER BECAME AN ART CAR, IN 1987.

1989

#7: BMW M3

The BMW M3 is a Papunya art masterpiece, an ancient Aboriginal Australian painting technique, which Michael Jagamara Nelson was taught by his grandfather. The tessellated paintings that appear to be abstract represent landscapes and animals. It took him seven days to paint the car with thousands of small dots.

BMW M3 Art Car, Ken Done
BMW M3 Art Car, Ken Done
1989

#8: BMW M3

Successes: Jim Richards won the drivers' title in the Australia Group A championship in 1987.

"I have painted parrots and parrotfish. They are both beautiful and move at fantastic speed," said Ken Done. "I wanted my BMW Art Car to convey this." The vibrant colours and the strong brush strokes embody modern Australia. 

BMW V12 LMR Art Car, Jenny Holzer

"PROTECT ME FROM WHAT I WANT"

1999

#15: BMW V12 LMR

Race debut: In early May 1999, the Art Car took part in the pre-qualification for the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Jenny Holzer brought the art of words to a BMW Art Car. She used reflective chrome lettering and phosphorescent colours to ensure that the characteristic BMW colours remained visible at all times during the 24-hour race: During the day, the letters of the slogans such as "PROTECT ME FROM WHAT I WANT" reflected the sky, while at night the foil released the stored daylight as the colour blue.

BMW M3 GT2 Art Car, Jeff Koons
BMW M3 GT2 Art Car, Jeff Koons
2010

#17: BMW M3 GT2

Race debut - 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The 17th BMW Art Car uses bright colours to convey the impression of power, movement and exuberant energy. The design of the car was enthusiastically acclaimed by BMW fans and art critics. Jeff Koons assigned the Art Car number 79 – in homage to the car designed by Andy Warhol in 1979.

BMW M6 GT3, Cao Fei
BMW M6 GT3, Cao Fei
2017

#18: BMW M6 GT3

Race debut - GT World Cup Macau.

Cao Fei takes the Art Car into the 21st century with the first digital BMW Art Car. For her BMW Art Car, the multimedia artist created a parallel world, typical of her style of work. Cao Fei’s project comprises three components: a video focusing on a time traveling spiritual practitioner, augmented reality features picturing colorful light particles, accessible via a dedicated app (App Store: keyword “BMW Art Car #18”), and the BMW M6 GT3 racecar in its original carbon black. Paying tribute to the carbon fiber structure of the racecar chassis, Cao Fei’s holistic use of a non-reflective black incorporates the car into the possibilities of the digital world.

BMW M6 GT3, John Baldessari
BMW M6 GT3, John Baldessari
2017

#19: BMW M6 GTLM

Race debut - 24 Stunden von Daytona.

John Baldessari remained true to his style when designing the 19th BMW Art Car. He used only the colours red, yellow, blue and green, with monochrome dots leaving his familiar colourful marks on the car. The image of the car on the side of the BMW Art Car is an ironic play on the multi-dimensionality of the race car as an art object. With “FAST” as a central typographical element, the artist boldly transports the power of the BMW Art Car to its outside.

Related articles.