The exhibit was up at the BMW Museum until February 2nd.
There are an infinite amount of fine artists in the car world, and one of the most iconic pieces is by the famous Andy Warhol in a series called "Rolling Sculptures". Painted in 1979 as part of the BMW Art Car Series, the German automaker wanted to ‘demonstrate an individual synthesis of artistic expression and automobile design’. Other famous artists that have painted on BMW cars as part of the project include Alexander Calder, Frank Stella, and Roy Lichtenstein. However, it was Warhol's painted BMW M1 that became most popular and recognizable out of the series that featured multiple artists, 19 in total, and it now resided in Munich, Germany until February 2nd at the BMW Musuem as part of the BMW Art Collection.
“I love this car. It’s more successful than the artwork,” he said later on. “I have tried to give a vivid depiction of speed. If a car is really fast, all contours and colours will become blurred.”
Warhol's rolling piece of artwork was originally built to compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans race in France as BMW M1 Group 4. He never used a scale model, only assistants, for his piece, and it took him less than 30 minutes to complete from start to finish with the use of broad brush strokes to create a blurred effect as if the car was in motion.
Thoe who wanted to see the BMW in person at the Delhi Art Fair were able to do so until February 2nd. The President and CEO of the BMW Group India said “At BMW, we just don’t build the best performing cars, but deeply believe in the intangibles. We hold our design aesthetics very dear, this inspires us as well as our users to stretch their creative boundaries. People love BMW for its superior performance, safety, luxurious experiences, and an underpinning is the design and aesthetic creative sensibility. To help build and strengthen intercultural platforms of creativity in the field of art, music, design and architecture is therefore very core to us. India Art Fair is a perfect platform for us to reach out to our discerning customers and showcase the brands aesthetics and design philosophy. My personal favourite is the exclusive showcase of the most photographed BMW Art Car in the world – by Andy Warhol. It is at India Art Fair and I would urge our fans and patrons not to miss seeing it in person! We bring to India yet another timeless interaction between art, artist and the automobile closer to our customers and connoisseurs of art.”
Plenty of artists took part in the series that began thanks to Hervé Poulain, French race car driver and art enthusiast. Poulain drove a painted BMW 3.0 CSL in the 24 Hours of Le Mans race back in 1975, and his rolling piece of artwork was a hit among fans. Since the BMW art series first started, 19 artists took part in the project.
According to Mans World India, those artists are: Alexander Calder (BMW 3.0 CSL, 1975), Frank Stella (BMW 3.0 CSL, 1976), Roy Lichtenstein (BMW 320 Group 5, 1977), Andy Warhol (BMW M1 Group 4, 1979), Ernst Fuchs (BMW 635CSi, 1982), Robert Rauschenberg (BMW 635CSi, 1986), Michael Jagamara Nelson (BMW M3 Group A, 1989), Ken Done (BMW M3 Group A, 1989), Matazo Kayama (BMW 535i, 1990), César Manrique (BMW 730i, 1990), A. R. Penck (BMW Z1, 1991), Esther Mahlangu (BMW 525i, 1991), Sandro Chia (BMW M3 GTR, 1992), David Hockney (BMW 850CSi, 1995), Jenny Holzer (BMW V12 LMR, 1999), Ólafur Eliasson (BMW H2R, 2007), Jeff Koons (BMW M3 GT2, 2010), John Baldessari (BMW M6 GT3) and Cai Fei (BMW M6 GT3).
The exhibit may not be up anymore, but it must have been a treat for anybody in the area who was able to check it out while it lasted.
