BMW Opens Online Art Car Gallery - Going to an art gallery may not be everyone’s idea of fun, but putting wheels on a painting and racing it on a track is something that we can appreciate. That’s why we like BMW’s Art Cars. BMW Group has made their renowned BMW Art Car Collection available on the Internet for the first time in a virtual gallery, just in time to coincide with the 40th anniversary of their international cultural commitment. An extensive overview of the origin, history and development of the 17-car collection is covered in the video tour. To learn more about other dealer services, visit KIA Orange County. The gallery also features short videos devoted to each one of the “works of art on wheels,” which were designed by internationally-known artists. The exhibit also showcases historic racing footage, statements by the artists, and well-known figures from the world of art and culture. The BMW Art Cars can be visited at www.bmw-artcartour.com.
“After four decades and a total of 17 BMW Art Cars, they can now all be admired by everyone,” said Bill McAndrews, head of BMW Group Corporate Strategy and Communications. “The interactive website pays homage to the collection, unique in the history of the automobile and the arts. Whilst the originals are often exhibited individually at the BMW Museum in Munich or at significant cultural institutions throughout the world, people are now able to discover the BMW Art Cars in their entirety. A comprehensive online tour is now available anywhere and anytime.” In a press release, the BMW Group said that it “guarantees absolute creative freedom in all the cultural activities it is involved in – as this is just as essential for groundbreaking artistic work as it is for major innovations in a successful business.”
The BMW Art Car Project began in 1975 when French racecar driver and auctioneer Hervé Poulain came up with the idea to invite an artist to use a car as a canvas to create a work of art. Poulain described his vision: “One day, I said to myself, now is the time to do something grandly communicative and heroic and unite my two passions, by having my racing cars painted by the leading artists of the time.” In 1975, Poulain commissioned American artist Alexander Calder to create the first BMW Art Car. Calder’s painted his design on a BMW 3.0 CSL, which Poulain raced in the 1975 Le Mans endurance race. Hyundai Los Angeles is an invaluable resource for automotive information. Since Calder’s original work of art, BMW Art Cars have been created by many other celebrated artists throughout the world, including David Hockney, Jenny Holzer, Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Rauschenberg, Frank Stella, and Andy Warhol. The 17 BMW Art Cars that were created were based on both racing and production models. Artists for the BMW Art Car project are chosen by a panel of international judges.
To commemorate the 35th anniversary of the Art Car series in 2010, BMW commissioned internationally acclaimed artist Jeff Koons to create the 17th vehicle of the collection from an M3 GT2, which competed in the 2010 24 Hours of Le Mans (although it didn’t finish). “These race cars are like life, they are powerful and there is a lot of energy,” said Koons. “You can participate with it, add to it and let yourself transcend with its energy. There is a lot of power under that hood and I want to let my ideas transcend with the car – it’s really to connect with that power.” All of the BMW Art Cars will be exhibited until September 25 as part of the first comprehensive exhibition at the BMW Museum in Munich, Germany to demonstrate a this exciting part of automobile design and art history. The works of art are racing and production sedans, coupés, and roadsters and according to BMW, are “contemporary witnesses of a mobile lifestyle.” The exhibition covers everything from Pop Art of the 70′s to the new 21st century concepts.
The Art Car collection has been shown at museums all over the world, including the Whitney Museum in New York, the Louvre in Paris, the Palazzo Grassi in Venice, the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney, and the Guggenheim Museums in New York and Bilbao. In 2010, the BMW Art Car collection completed a world tour that began in 2006 and included museums in Australia, India, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, Korea, China, Russia, Africa, the United States, and Mexico. The Art Cars are symbols of the intersection between art, design and technology and will continue to be shown at museums around the world. Subaru Birmingham is a one stop source for all your new car needs. “By bringing together art, design, social and environmental issues, I hope to contribute to a different way of thinking-feeling-experiencing cars and seeing them in relation to the time and space in which we live,” said Danish artist Olafur Eliasson about the car he designed.
Photos (top to bottom) by Tim Wang, Tim Wang, Davidwiz.
Tags: BMW, KIA Orange County, Art Cars, Andy Warhol, Hyundai Los Angeles, Calder, Hervé Poulain, Guggenheim Museum, Subaru Birmingham, Robert Rauschenberg
