The Evolution of the BMW Art Car

It’s 40 years this year since the first BMW Art Car was shown to the world for the first time.

In 1975, French racing driver and art enthusiast Hervé Poulain asked artist and friend Alexander Calder to design his BMW race car. The brightly coloured 3.0 CSL was an instant crowd’s favourite when it lined up at Le Mans. The BMW Art Car was born.

Since then, 16 more BMW Art Cars have been added to the BMW Art Car Collection, with unique works of art from artists such as Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, David Hockney and Jeff Koons. The cars are a mixture of production and race models.

A Cool Intersection Between Cars and Art

“The BMW Art Cars provide an exciting landmark at the interface where cars, technology, design, art and motor sport meet,” says Maximilian Schöberl, Senior Vice President, Corporate and Governmental Affairs, BMW Group. “The 40-year history of our ‘rolling sculptures’ is as unique as the artists who created them. “

Some of the cars are displayed at the BMW Museum in Munich while the remaining BMW Art Cars travel the globe to attend art fairs in Los Angeles, London and Hong Kong, as well as exhibitions at the Louvre, the Guggenheim and the Museum of Contemporary Art Shanghai.

The BMW Art Car Collection

1. Alexander Calder (BMW 3.0 CSL, 1975)
2. Frank Stella (BMW 3.0 CSL, 1976)
3. Roy Lichtenstein (BMW 320 Group 5, 1977)
4. Andy Warhol (BMW M1 Group 4, 1979)
5. Ernst Fuchs (BMW 635CSi, 1982)
6. Robert Rauschenberg (BMW 635CSi, 1986)
7. Michael Jagamara Nelson (BMW M3 Group A, 1989)
8. Ken Done (BMW M3 Group A, 1989)
9. Matazo Kayama (BMW 535i, 1990)
10. César Manrique (BMW 730i, 1990)
11. A.R. Penck (BMW Z1, 1991)
12. Esther Mahlangu (BMW 525i, 1991)
13. Sandro Chia (BMW M3 GTR, 1992)
14. David Hockney (BMW 850CSi, 1995)
15. Jenny Holzer (BMW V12 LMR, 1999)
16. Ólafur Elíasson (BMW H2R, 2007)
17. Jeff Koons (BMW M3 GT2, 2010)

Caroline Kidd