BMW Art Cars

[henk4]

Sorry but art cars really don't look good.

I am sure your comment will cause a big stir in the global scene of art cars.

[cmcpokey]

I am sure your comment will cause a big stir in the global scene of art cars.

you make me lol.

i love the art cars, they should really bring them back.

[csl177]

I am sure your comment will cause a big stir in the global scene of art cars.

Hoot! CMC, great photos! The Art program continues at BMW but I still prefer the first six: Calder, Stella, Warhol, Rauschenberg, Lichtenstein, Fuchs. BMW first showed them together in the Madison Avenue showroom in 1989 or '90 and I was there... the Calder is still my favorite, though the Warhol is the most interesting in the flesh. It's actually very painterly, something Warhol's pop art is not. As we know, unfortunately neither car was particularly succesful on track. Ken Done's M3 was stunning, vibrant. A. R. Penck's Z1 with it's tribal vibe was less flattering. More recently the PR project with graffito artist Robin Rhode was presented as a documentary on HDTH... a disappointment. Beauty in the eye... eh, Cargirl?

Privately, Stella also did an M1 for Peter Gregg... the car was sold about 15 years ago here in Florida, wonder where it went?

I still have the original poster and book presented with the cars.

[cargirl1990]

Yeah, to each their own. I draw cars and what not but I don't like drawing ON the car.

[Ecnelis]

BMW M3 GT2 Art Car

World Premiere of Jeff Koons' BMW Art Car at the Centre Pompidou in Paris. Car will race at 24 hours of Le Mans.

Paris. At the premiere of the 17th BMW Art Car Jeff Koons unveiled and signed his car in front of 300 international VIP guests on June 1 in the Centre Pompidou, one of the world’s most prestigious cultural institutions for modern and contemporary art. It is the same place where Roy Lichtenstein back in 1977 first presented and signed his Art Car.


In the spirit of Calder, Stella, Lichtenstein, Warhol, BMW announced this year that the 17th Art Car created by Jeff Koons will race where the first rolling pieces of art by legendary artists raced – at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in France on June 12-13, 2010. Koons’ canvas is a BMW M3 GT2, which was homologated to compete at this year’s running of the world’s most famous endurance race.

On June 2, between 11 am to 9 pm, the public will have the chance to see the Art Car free of charge in the Forum of the Centre Pompidou. At 5.30 pm Jeff Koons will participate in a book signing at the official book store of the museum before he will talk about his work in conversation with Alain Seban, President of the Centre Pompidou, at 6 pm at the Forum of the museum.


The Design Process

As part of his creative process, the artist collected images of race cars, related graphics, vibrant colors, speed and explosions. The resulting artwork of bright colors conceived by Koons is evocative of power, motion and bursting energy. Its silver interior along with the powerful exterior design, the Art Car will impart a dynamic appearance even when it’s standing still.

“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”.

Koons has been in an intense collaboration with BMW’s team in Munich for months – melding his skill with sophisticated BMW engineering – to ensure that the 17th BMW Art Car will be race-ready for the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Traveling back and forth to Germany many times since the February 2 announcement that Koons would create the 17th BMW Art Car, the artist has worked with the BMW engineering and design teams to conduct in-depth explorations of materials and application options that will prove crucial to optimizing both the aesthetic and aerodynamic attributes of the race car. Working with actual 3-D computer-aided design (CAD) models of the BMW M3 GT2, Koons could simulate the application of the graphic to the car’s surfaces and evaluate it from all angles.

Koons even donned a helmet and joined BMW’s Rahal Letterman Racing Team for testing in Sebring, Florida, on February 23. Koons was able to experience the M3 GT2 at race speed to further inspire his design. As Koons describes it, he witnessed “the raw unfiltered performance” of the M3 GT2 from the seat of a historic BMW M1 race car. Koons also drove a BMW M3 Coupe on the circuit to further the dynamic exercise.

Under Koons’ direct guidance and supervision, his BMW Art Car was produced in assistance with a team of BMW engineers and designers at Schmid Design, (ORT), Bavaria. The challenge to create the BMW Art Car had to do with using a light material and a design that would not interfere with the racecar's aerodynamics and weight. Timing was also an issue, as there was only a two month window between the first design sketches and the Paris world premiere. This is why digital print on car wrapping vinyl was used covered by a double clear-coating to bring out the color. To apply hundreds of dynamic lines of Koons' design onto the car, CAD designs were translated from 3D into 2D for the printing process and then painstakingly applied to the entire car as well as onto individual spare parts. Koons design incorporates many bright contrasting colors to communicate the aesthetics of power. The concept design was transformed into hard eged lines of color. Graphics of debris were added to the rear sides and back of the car to similute the power of the car. Furthermore, two graphic rings on the rear of the car represent supersonic acceleration.


Koons and BMW

The germination of Koons’ collaboration with BMW began in 2003, when he expressed his desire to create a BMW Art Car. His relationship with BMW started more than two decades ago when he drove a BMW while residing in Munich, home to the BMW Group headquarters. Koons is known for his heartfelt appreciation of cars. Earlier this year he was even recognized by music icon Bono of U2 as one of the ideal artists to design a car that would make the world fall in love with automobiles again.

Koons’ creative process for the BMW Art Car mirrors techniques, some borrowed from transportation design and development, which he regularly employs for his artistic production. For example, in the creation of Koons’ monumental sculptures, his studio uses 3-D CAD models to evaluate the surfaces, assembles them via methods found in bike chop shops, and paints them in a manner based on sophisticated automotive painting techniques.


The 24 Hours of Le Mans race

In April 2010, BMW Motorsport Director Mario Theissen announced the driver line-up for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Andy Priaulx (GB), Dirk Müller (DE) and Dirk Werner (DE) will race the BMW Art Car #79. Jörg Müller (DE), Augusto Farfus (BR), Uwe Alzen (DE) will drive the BMW Le Mans car #78.

The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the world’s oldest endurance race in all of sports car racing, held annually since 1923 near the town of Le Mans, Sarthe, France. Commonly known as the Grand Prix of Endurance, it is organized by the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO) and runs on a circuit containing closed public roads. The race is designed not only to test a car and driver’s ability to be quick, but also to last over a 24-hour period.

French auctioneer and racing driver Hervé Poulain first had the idea of asking an artist to paint the car he himself would compete with. Taking up this initiative in 1975, American artist Alexander Calder painted a BMW racing car, thus laying the foundation. The Art Car experiment was soon continued: a year later, Calder Art Car co-driver Sam Posey introduced Frank Stella to the idea of BMW Art Cars when the New York-based artist covered a BMW with his typical grid-like pattern. Stella’s work was followed by a series of celebrated pop artists: Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol and Robert Rauschenberg. Apart from Rauschenberg’s Art Car, all these took part in the Le Mans 24-hour race, some of them enjoying remarkable success.


The BMW M3 GT2

Derived from the BMW M3 high-performance sports car, the BMW M3 GT2 boasts a 4.0-liter V8 engine with a maximum output of 500 bhp, an upgraded chassis, racing-caliber brakes, and extensive use of lightweight materials. Able to reach 100 mph in 3.4 seconds, the BMW M3 GT2 is rapidly emerging as a real first year contender at this year’s event.

For the Comeback at 24 Le Mans BMW Motorsport is supported by numerous successful partners. This is why the BMW M3 GT2 will be labeled with the logos of Castrol, Crowne Plaza, Dunlop, Randstad, Sympatex, LuK, H&R, BBS and NGK for the race on the “Circuit de la Sarthe”.


BMW Art Cars

Since 1975, artists from throughout the world have turned BMW automobiles into art signifying a particular period through the Art Car program. In 2007, the latest installment was revealed with Olafur Eliasson’s “Your mobile expectations: BMW H2R project.” Many of the cars by the likes of Warhol, Lichtenstein, Stella, Rauschenberg, Hockney and Holzer have been exhibited in renowned museums throughout the world including the Louvre, the Guggenheim Museums, and the Shanghai Art Museum. They have been displayed at the BMW Museum in Munich, between 2006 and 2010 and many went on a world tour throughout Asia, Russia, Africa, India, the United States and Mexico. The Koons car number, “79,” pays tribute to the 1979 Andy Warhol car. The Warhol car was assigned the number “76,” an homage to the 1976 Frank Stella car, both of which raced at Le Mans.

The home of all BMW Art Cars is the BMW Museum in Munich. Starting in September, Koons’ 17th BMW Art Car will be presented there together with some of its predecessors.

With over 100 major projects worldwide, BMW Group cultural programs have been an integral part of the company’s contributions to society for almost 40 years. Besides contemporary art, architecture and design, classical music and jazz are key components of this engagement.

[Ecnelis]

BMW M3 GT2 Art Car #2

JEFF KOONS 17th BMW ART CAR
Statements.

“I always thought it would be an honor to work on a BMW Art Car. I look forward to participate in a tradition set forth by such great artists as Calder, Lichtenstein, Stella and Warhol."

“These race cars are like life, they are powerful and there is a lot of energy. 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.”

“When the car is not racing, when the viewer walks around this art car to look at it, he or she is in contact with their own energy that is needed to move, which is constantly making reference to the power underneath the hood of that car.”
Jeff Koons

“Presenting the 17th BMW Art Car by Jeff Koons in the Centre Pompidou in Paris, one of the world’s foremost centers of contemporary art and culture, is a fitting coronation for the BMW Art Car series celebrating its 35th anniversary.”
Ian Robertson, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG

“Ever since it was created back in 1977, the Centre Pompidou has acted as an interface, a platform of exchange between creative art and society, striving to expose the larger public to the art of our time in the firm belief that art can foster a more innovative and flexible society. For this reason the Centre Pompidou is glad to join BMW’s project which, I trust, can go a long way in bringing together creation and society by inviting the great artists of our time – from Roy Lichtenstein in 1977 to Jeff Koons today – to challenge the most mythical object of our era, the car, through a unique creation.”
Alain Seban, President of the Centre Pompidou

“We are honored to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the BMW Art Car Collection with the outstanding artist and creator of the newest BMW Art Car, Jeff Koons. Getting back to the roots of the first “rolling sculptures” that raced at 24 hours of Le Mans is a delight. Jeff Koons is a perfectionist, like all of us at BMW, so it was thrilling to work with him closely on this project.”
Frank-Peter Arndt, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG

Working with a world renowned artist such as Jeff Koons has been truly inspiring as well as a great pleasure for my team and myself.
Jeff has managed to capture the essence of BMW: dynamics & emotion and express these attributes in his very own and exciting way!
The result is exhilarating and will add a unique dimension to the 24 hours race of Le Mans and many museums afterwards!
Adrian van Hooydonk, Director BMW Group Design

“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.”

“Death will not catch me alive.”
Hervé Poulain, Godfather of the BMW Art Car Collection

"The Automobile Club de l’Ouest is delighted at the revival of the Art Car tradition – which began at the 24-Hour Le Mans Car Race in 1975 – on the initiative of BMW and our friend Hervé Poulain. The combination of these two symbols of creativity – contemporary art and the greatest race in the world – was sure to win over the organisers of the 24-Hour Le Mans race, an event in a class of its own."
Jean Claude Plassart, President of the Automobile Club de l’Ouest

„At this year´s 24-hour-race we are resurrecting the long tradition of the BMW Art Cars. The American artist Jeff Koons creates the design for the BMW M3 GT2. In doing so, he joins the ranks of great artists such as Frank Stella, Roy Lichtenstein, A.R. Penck, David Hockney, Jenny Holzer and Andy Warhol. There is probably no better stage for this work of art to take to the track and mark the 35th anniversary of the Art Car collection than Le Mans. The BMW M1 designed by Andy Warhol finished in an admirable sixth place back in 1979. The race in Le Mans is one of the most important events in international motorsport. This makes it the perfect stage to revive the tradition of the BMW Art Car. Jeff Koons’ work of art will leave a lasting impression with all those who see it, even after the BMW M3 GT2 has crossed the finish line. BMW Art Cars have often also been able to impress with their sporting achievements. I am optimistic that this will be the case again this year.”
Mario Theissen, Director BMW Motorsport

“Of course it is a great honour for me, as a driver, to line up in a BMW Art Car. Even with its standard livery, the BMW M3 GT2 is already a very attractive car. However, Jeff Koons’ design transforms the racing car into a true work of art. I will be going all out in Le Mans to do my bit towards ensuring that the latest member of the Art Car collection is successful on the track. It is the first time that I have ever raced in a car with such an artistic design. However, this will not change my approach to the race: I will be driving at the limit in order to get the best possible result.”
Andy Priaulx, BMW Works driver

[Ecnelis]

BMW M3 GT2 Art Car #3

BMW celebrates the 35th anniversary of its Art Car Collection.

Munich. Since 1975, outstanding artists from all over the world have been involved in creating the BMW automobiles of their era. In 2010, the BMW Art Car Collection is celebrating its 35th anniversary for which internationally acclaimed artist Jeff Koons conceived the 17th work of the collection.

The 17 “rolling sculptures” which have thus far been presented in the Collection include works by well-known artists such as Alexander Calder, Frank Stella, Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol, Robert Rauschenberg, A.R. Penck, David Hockney, Jenny Holzer, Olafur Eliasson and Jeff Koons. The Art Cars reflect the developments in art history with regard to fine art, design and technology and are displayed worldwide in major museums such as the Paris Louvre, the Royal Academy in London, the New York Whitney Museum of Modern Art, Venice’s Palazzo Grassi, Sydney’s Powerhouse Museum and the Guggenheim Museums of New York and Bilbao. In the future, too, Art Cars will document the fascinating link between art and technology in international exhibitions.

The idea for the collection – to have a car designed by an artist – was initiated by French auctioneer and passionate race car driver Hervé Poulain. Upon his initiative, the American Alexander Calder designed his BMW racing car – the BMW 3.0. CSL – at the beginning of the 1970s. The first vehicle to bring together the worlds of art and motor sport took part in the 24-hour race of Le Mans. The enthusiastic reception was the spark of inspiration that led BMW to create the Art Car Collection.

Between 2006 and 2009 BMW Art Cars were sent on an extensive world tour, which took them to museums in Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, Korea, Australia, India, Taiwan, China, Russia, Japan, Africa, the United States and Mexico.

[Ecnelis]

BMW M3 GT2 Art Car #4

Chronological List of BMW Art Cars.

1. Alexander Calder (USA) 1975 BMW 3.0 CSL
2. Frank Stella (USA) 1976 BMW 3.0 CSL
3. Roy Lichtenstein (USA) 1977 BMW 320I Group 5 Race Version
4. Andy Warhol (USA) 1979 BMW M1 Group 4 Race Version
5. Ernst Fuchs (A) 1982 BMW 635 CSi
6. Robert Rauschenberg (USA) 1986 BMW 635 CSi
7. Michael Jagamara Nelson (AUS) 1989 BMW M3 Group A Race Version
8. Ken Done (AUS) 1989 BMW M3 Group A Race Version
9. Matazo Kayama (J) 1990 BMW 535i
10. César Manrique (E) 1990 BMW 730i
11. A.R. Penck (D) 1991 BMW Z1
12. Esther Mahlangu (ZA) 1991 BMW 525i
13. Sandro Chia (I) 1992 BMW 3-Series Racing Touring Car Prototype
14. David Hockney (GB) 1995 BMW 850CSi
15. Jenny Holzer (USA) 1999 BMW V12 LMR
16. Olafur Eliasson (DEN) 2007 BMW H2R World Speed Record Hydrogen Car, “Your mobile expectations: BMW H2R project”
17. Jeff Koons (USA) 2010 BMW M3 GT2

[Ecnelis]

BMW M3 GT2 Art Car #5

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eG83ETbo0xE]YouTube - Jeff Koons: 17. BMW Art Car, BMW M3 GT2, 2010[/ame]

[csl177]

Hard to believe Calder's CSL is 35 years old... it still looks fresh. Koon's take on visualizing speed is pretty good (if looking somewhat like a Randy Owens print). Still, an attractive and compelling finished piece compared to some recent BMW art projects.

Let's hope that unlike the CSL it finishes LeMans.

[lexusscuderia]

kakkoiine