BMW Art Cars – an Automotive Vernissage
ART GALLERY ON WHEELS
There are many iconic liveries in the world of racing cars. Everyone surely recalls the famous Marlboro, Gulf or Martini vehicles crossing finish lines on various circuits. Connoisseurs might even add to these much more niche and exotic Alitalia or Olio Fiat ones. But there was something more iconic than that. More special. More artistic. Something that took what could be done on top of the bodywork to the very next level… the BMW Art Cars!
And what better opportunity could there be to showcase some of the most memorable art cars ever produced than the premiere of the latest one? For that reason, Villa Erba’s Padiglione Centrale was turned into an impromptu art gallery with six paintings on wheels circling the 2024 BMW M-Hybrid V8 Le Mans by Julie Mehretu. Are you already eager to take a tour revisiting the history?
THE FASTEST PAINTING
It all started nearly half a century ago, interestingly, also with a car prepared for the legendary Le Mans. American sculptor Alexander Calder was given an unusual canvas and converted the BMW 3.0 CSL – a.k.a. the Batmobile – into a colourful corner devourer. Driven by Hervé Poulain who was the one responsible for bringing the idea into BMW, the car didn’t eventually finish, but it played a much more historical role. Applauded by the crowd, it began the series of Art Cars.
A year later the very same Bavarian model was taken over by yet another American artist – Frank Stella. Being a motorsport fan himself, he took a bit different approach to Calder. His art was more technical, resembling a graph paper overlaid onto the CSL body. The car stood out in another way, as amongst the colourful crowd shouting “power”, it seemed like a wolf in sheep’s skin. From there it became a tradition. Year after year, Circuit de la Sarthe became kind of a runway for BMW’s Art Cars, and it was no different in 1977 for the 320i Turbo painted by Roy Lichtenstein. Poulain was back behind the wheel, together with Marcel Mignot brining back a class victory. In style.
OH, SO ICONIC, EVEN AFTER THE YEARS
But if there is one BMW Art Car known to everyone, even from outside the automotive world, it is this one - a 1979 Andy Warhol’s BMW M1. With time, it became one of the most valuable vehicles in history and it comes as no surprise. One of the most iconic sportscars from Munich reincarnated by one of the most famous pop artists. A dream combination? Thick layers of paint were laid in a quick creative burst of just 28 minutes and were inspired by the high-speed blur. This artwork on wheels finished 6th at Le Mans (where else?!) and then travelled straight to the museum.
Fast forward two decades and ten Art Cars, we land on the BMW V12 LMR by American artist Jenny Holzer. Known from her words of critics, Holzer took an approach not yet seen on an Art Car – she covered the white racer with sentences made out of reflective, chrome letters. With intentions to stimulate reflection and thought, interpreted differently by whoever admires the single seater, there is one saying which to me describes the entire Art Car line perfectly – “the unattainable is invariably attractive”.
THE MODERN ERA OF ART CARS
Next one on display was the 2010 BMW M3 GT2 painted by Jeff Koons. Known for various collaboration with the Bavarian brand, Koons brought back the pop-art vibes, making his artwork shout “I am fast!”. Records say it was a crowd favourite when it launched at Le Mans, bringing back the ethos of the very early Art Car racers. Years on, it was no different as it was simply circled by all the enthusiastic visitors as soon as Padiglione Centrale’s doors opened.
And right there, in the centre of it was the latest addition to the bunch. Proudly wearing the starting number twenty, the twentieth BMW Art Car served as a creative playground for Julie Mehretu. Widely recognised, even as Time’s 100 Most Influential People of 2020, the Ethiopian-American artist based the 2024 Le Mans racer’s design on one of her paintings – the “Everywhen”. Full of neon-coloured spray, dotted grids and alienated photographs overlaid on a modern single seater elevated her artwork into new, three-dimensional and (rather quickly) movable medium.
WHAT’S NEXT?
For nearly a decade BMW Art Cars were connecting two worlds so close to each other – the automotive and art industry. All of the twenty projects were unique, with many of these collaborations becoming iconic. Even through this short time at Villa Erba I saw how they work the crowd – they fascinate, inspire and spark conversation – just like a painting or a sculpture in a museum would. A set of true art-on-wheels, if you will. Will there be more? Only time will tell but as the temporary exhibition is gone now, you could admire some of the existing ones in BMW’s Museum and of course – cheer for car No. 20 at Le Mans!
Text & Photos: Adam Pekala ©
