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BMW art cars can race, are works of art and are priceless. They have been the highlights of BMW’s unique and diverse car collection for more than 40 years. There are a total of 19 BMW Art Cars created since 1975, in collaboration with renowned international artists.
Hervé Poulain, a French auctioneer and hobby race car driver, was the inventor of BMW art cars. In 1975 he came up with the idea of having a race car designed by an artist when he dreamed of competing in the 24-hour race at Le Mans, because he wanted to do so in an artist-designed racing car that was a super sports car - the BMW Motorsport GmbH which was created three years earlier.
When BMW recognised the potential of what they thought was Poulain’s crazy idea, they had a BMW 3.0 CSL painted by the American sculptor Alexander Calder. Nobody could have foreseen what would emerge from this: the world’s most consistent combination of automobiles and art designed by well-known artists using their own ideas.
A number of different artists transformed the BMWs into works of art using a wide range of graphic and artistic techniques on production vehicles: from pure racers to rare sports cars. The results were amazing: no two vehicles are alike and it was left to each artist to choose the technology and design which suited them – no restrictions or specifications.
Hervé Poulain, a French auctioneer and hobby race car driver, was the inventor of BMW art cars. In 1975 he came up with the idea of having a race car designed by an artist when he dreamed of competing in the 24-hour race at Le Mans, because he wanted to do so in an artist-designed racing car that was a super sports car - the BMW Motorsport GmbH which was created three years earlier.
When BMW recognised the potential of what they thought was Poulain’s crazy idea, they had a BMW 3.0 CSL painted by the American sculptor Alexander Calder. Nobody could have foreseen what would emerge from this: the world’s most consistent combination of automobiles and art designed by well-known artists using their own ideas.
A number of different artists transformed the BMWs into works of art using a wide range of graphic and artistic techniques on production vehicles: from pure racers to rare sports cars. The results were amazing: no two vehicles are alike and it was left to each artist to choose the technology and design which suited them – no restrictions or specifications.
Take a look at these 19 BMW art cars
1. Alexander Calder / BMW 3.0 CSL / 1975
The first BMW car to be designed in what became their legendary art series. Poulain actually drove the car in the Le Mans 24-hour race himself and although he didn’t finish, the response to the colourful Calder-mobile was phenomenal.
2. Frank Stella / BMW 3.0 CSL / 1976
One year later, Calder’s compatriot Frank Stella took on a BMW 3.0 CSL, which also took part in the Le Mans endurance race and designed the second car in the BMW Art Cars series. It was a special honour for Stella. Inspired by the car's technical aura Stella emphasized its geometric look by using black and white square grid pattern resembling the technical graph paper, with dotted cut-out lines running across the bodywork.
3. Roy Lichtenstein / BMW 320i Turbo / 1977
In 1977, the third BMW Art Car was designed by pop artist Roy Lichtenstein using the “Ben Day dots” characteristic of his art. The car did not immediately become an exhibit, but first proved itself in tough motorsport at Le Mans.
4. Andy Warhol / BMW M1 / 1979
Painted by Andy Warhol, the most famous pop artist, this super sports car is a legend in itself and probably the best-known example of the BMW Art Car series. The car became one of the most valuable automobiles in history. The design depicted speed and Warhol finished his painting in just over 28 minutes.
5. Ernst Fuchs / BMW 635 CSi / 1982
Number 5 was designed in 1982 by Austria’s Ernst Fuchs. The result was the “Fire Fox on a Hare Hunt” and it was the first BMW Art Car based on a production car. It was an amazing exhibition piece.
6. Robert Rauschenberg / BMW 635 CSi / 1986
Robert Rauschenberg, another pop artist, design car number 6. It is the only BMW Art Car which has been driven in traffic – by Rauschenberg himself. He created the automobile art by combining the works of other artists using photographic techniques which he then applied to the body of the BMW coupé using foils.
7. Michael Jagamara Nelson / BMW M3 Group A / 1989
Car no. 7 was created by Michael Jagamara Nelson, an Australian artist. It took him seven days to transform a Group A racing version of a black BMW M3 into a work of art which reflects the culture, and perceptions of the landscape, of Australia’s Aborigines. Nelson was assisted in the process by artist friends and to preserve the art of their culture, the Aborigines encoded their images into motifs that have been passed on among indigenous Australians over generations through cave paintings.
8. Ken Done / BMW M3 Group A / 1989
Also in 1989, the Australian Ken Done designed the Group A BMW M3 touring car which represented modern Australia. He aimed to illustrate the happy side of his homeland; nature, sun and beaches, fish and parrots - a racing car that combines unrivalled dynamics with a pure Australian love for life. The car was raced around Australia’s circuits before it became a purely decorative work of art.
9. Matazo Kayama / BMW 535i / 1990
Car 9 is a production car designed by an Asian artist - Japan’s Matazo Kayama. The car was wrapped in an airbrush dress and with the help of a special foil printing process, he came up with a stylized landscape shaped by a river on the body.
10. César Manrique / BMW 730i / 1990
For the unofficial anniversary in 1990 the Spanish avant-gardist, César Manrique, was given the opportunity to make his contribution to the BMW “Art on Wheels” project. He incorporated the nature of the Spanish subtropical island of Lanzarote as his model, using bright colours and abstract shapes on the bodywork. The black element of the design stands for the Canary Island’s lava rock, green for the rainforest, red for life.
11. A.R. Penck / BMW Z1 / 1991
Germany-born artist A. R. Penck designed the BMW Z1 which is a work of art and also a rarity with its radically new design language and vertically sliding retractable side doors. This car remains a milestone in BMW automotive history to this day. Penck’s design was inspired by cave paintings, so he created abstract figures and symbols. His contribution to the BMW Art Cars series came four years after the roadster premiered.
12. Esther Mahlangu / BMW 525i / 1991
Car number 12 was the first of the Art Car series designed by a woman. Mahlangu’s design was an homage to African culture. The design known as the Ndebele pattern, a tradition that is passed on from generation to generation – and exclusively among women. Mahlangu says relates to “how my tribe decorate their houses.” The South African artist took a week to design her contribution to the series of art on cars. The car is a one-of-a-kind exhibition piece.
13. Sandro Chia / BMW M3 GTR / 1992
The Italian artist, Sandro Chia, let his imagination run wild on this car. Chia painted countless faces and a sea of colours on the body. He said “This car reflects all those looking and watching.” The impressive result is anyone looking at the car feels like they are under observation themselves.
14. David Hockney / BMW 850 CSi / 1995
For this BMW Art Car the company wooed the artist, British superstar David Hockney, persistently and ultimately with success. It was the result of a long design process, because the artist said “it’s not just about applying a little paint.” He took the car apart through his painting, turning it completely inside out so he could bring to the surface what he believes lies beneath the skin of the car, the bodywork, the fascinating technology.
15. Jenny Holzer / BMW V12 LMR / 1999
The US artist Jenny Holzer used her own style to add sentences applied to the white paintwork of the race car using reflective chrome letters and fluorescent foil. She is best known for her critical words, for statements that are meant to stimulate thought, echo, polarize.
16. Olafur Eliasson / BMW H2R / 2007
Ólafur Elíasson’s automobile art is dramatically different from the other vehicles in the BMW Art Car series. This design by the Dane of Icelandic extraction, known for using nature and physical phenomena in his art, is a radical break with every Art Car before it. You’re not able to at first identify there’s a car there – the object looks like a giant cocoon. This is fitting for the opening vehicle of his opus, because under the shell lies a hydrogen-powered racing prototype. The shell of the BMW H2R is made up of small metal plates that have been sprinkled with water in a huge cold room which creates an armour of ice that holds the car captive. Click here to watch the giant cocoon.
17. Jeff Koons / BMW M3 GT2 / 2010
American Jeff Koons designed car number 17. Bright colours, wild stripes and depictions of explosions decorated the car. The bright colour elements seem to fly by on this car and even when stationary, it car looks like it’s about to jump; it is bursting with power. In 2010, the vehicle took to the starting line at the Le Mans 24-hour race, where it was an absolute crowd-pleaser.
18. Cao Fei / BMW M6 GT3 / 2017
This BMW Art Car was designed by the Chinese multimedia artist Cao Fei who is the youngest and first Chinese artist ever to create a BMW Art Car using augmented and virtual reality. Paying tribute to carbon, the material of choice for so many race cars, she chose the structure of this material as the colour background for her project. With augmented reality, the black race car becomes the focus of a storm of colours that rages above the vehicle. In this way, Cao merges the real and digital worlds.
Click here to watch it in action.
Click here to watch it in action.
19. John Baldessari / BMW M6 GTLM / 2016
John Baldessari’s 2016 design is another example of fantastic BMW art. Fans of BMW Art Cars had to wait six years before there was a new specimen to admire. The Californian artist effectively brought his style elements into play on a large scale. The name, in large letters on the driver’s door, says it all: “FAST”. Speed is what racing cars like the BMW M6 GTLM are all about. Or, as the artist himself put it: “The BMW Art Car is definitely the fastest artwork I ever created!” A striking feature is the red dot on the roof, making the BMW M6 stand out even more from above.
The BMW art cars were the source of our inspiration which enabled us to come up with the float art concept.
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