BMW Exhibits Art Car collection at Virtual 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 Orange County Audi. 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 genesis of the BMW Art Car Project came in 1975 when French racing driver and auctioneer Hervé Poulain thought of inviting an artist to create a work of art from a car. 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.” Poulain commissioned his friend, American artist Alexander Calder to create the first BMW Art Car, using a BMW 3.0 CSL. After the car was finished, Poulain raced it in the 1975 Le Mans endurance race. Chevrolet Oklahoma City offers complete services for all your automotive dealership needs. Since Calder’s created the first Art Car, other celebrated artists around the world have created their own versions, including David Hockney, Jenny Holzer, Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Rauschenberg, Frank Stella, and Andy Warhol. The 17 BMW Art Cars were based on both racing and production models. Artists for the BMW Art Car project are selected by an international panel of 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.
“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 Olafur Eliasson about the car he designed. Cheap Car Rental NJ is a great source for all your automotive needs. The Art Car collection has been exhibited at museums all over the world, including the Louvre in Paris, the New York Whitney Museum, the Palazzo Grassi in Venice, the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney, and the Guggenheim Museums in New York and Bilbao. From 2006 to 2010, the BMW Art Car collection completed a world tour which included museums in Malaysia, Singapore, Korea, Australia, India, Taiwan, China, Russia, Africa, the United States, and Mexico. The Art Cars – symbols of the interconnection between art, design and technology – will continue to be on shown at international museums in the future.
Photos (top to bottom) by Tim Wang, Tim Wang, Davidwiz.
Tags: BMW, Orange County Audi, Art Cars, Andy Warhol, Chevrolet Oklahoma City, Calder, Hervé Poulain, Guggenheim Museum, Cheap Car Rental NJ, Robert Rauschenberg