+++ “Rolling sculptures” from Alexander Calders first to Julie Mehretus newest +++ Largest exhibition challenge within the historical past of the gathering spans all 5 continents +++ Collaborations with cultural establishments and artwork platforms +++ African Movie and Media Arts Collective for filmmakers and media artists +++
twelfth March 2025
Munich. Calder, Lichtenstein, Warhol, Holzer, Hockney, Koons, Rauschenberg, Mahlangu, Eliasson, Baldessari, Cao Fei, Mehretu. For the previous 50 years, the BMW Artwork Automobile sequence has offered artists fascinated by vehicles with an ideal playground for artwork and design, know-how and innovation, motorsport and engineering. The gathering of 20 BMW Artwork Vehicles embodies the essence of worldwide cultural engagement with over 100 initiatives throughout up to date artwork, music and movie, in addition to design. The “rolling sculptures” from Alexander Calders first-ever Artwork Automobile to Julie Mehretus newest provide a cross-section of artwork historical past over the previous 5 a long time: minimalism, pop artwork, magical realism, abstraction, conceptual artwork and digital artwork are all represented.
I really like that automotive. It has turned out higher than the art work.
Andy Warhol, BMW Artwork Automobile #4, 1979
The artists are chosen by worldwide juries of museum administrators. In shut collaboration with the BMW Groups engineering and design groups, they freely develop their ideas and encourage everybody concerned. To mark the fiftieth anniversary, the BMW Artwork Automobile World Tour options an exhibition programme spanning all 5 continents and together with quite a few accompanying occasions.
The automotive shouldn’t solely race in a bodily manner but additionally within the coronary heart.
Cao Fei, BMW Artwork Automobile #18, 2016.
An anniversary world wide.
“The BMW Artwork Automobile Assortment celebrates 50 years of creative freedom and visionary design. The 20 automobiles have grow to be worldwide icons, telling tales of society, know-how and efficiency. Our dedication to artwork and tradition is long-term. We’re repeatedly growing the gathering and bringing artwork and automotive tradition collectively in a singular manner,” says Ilka Horstmeier, Board Member for Human Sources and Actual Property at BMW Group.
The BMW Artwork Automobile World Tour kicks off in Europe and Asia. On 20-21 March, the BMW Artwork Vehicles created by Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol, Robert Rauschenberg, David Hockney and Jeff Koons will likely be on show on the Museum of Utilized Arts and the SPARK Artwork Truthful in Vienna for the BMW Group Niederlassung Wien occasion (R)Evolution of Artwork. The most recent and twentieth BMW Artwork Automobile the BMW M Hybrid V8 by famend American painter Julie Mehretu will embark on an Asian tour and be displayed at Artwork Basel in Hong Kong on 28-30 March.
Mehretu is growing her Artwork Automobile challenge far past the automobile as an object and can host workshops for younger movie and media artists throughout 5 African nations in 2025, along with movie producer Mehret Mandefro and the BMW Group. The outcomes of the African Movie and Media Arts Collective (AFMAC) will likely be offered in 2026 alongside Mehretu’s Artwork Automobile in an exhibition on the Zeitz MOCAA in Cape City, curated by its Govt Director, Koyo Kouoh, the designated curator of the Venice Biennale 2026.
The entire BMW Artwork Automobile challenge is about invention, about creativeness, about pushing limits of what could be doable.
Julie Mehretu, BMW Artwork Automobile #20, 2024
Essential museums and platforms for traditional vehicles are additionally celebrating the milestone anniversary of the BMW Artwork Vehicles. The thirteenth Artwork Automobile by Sandro Chia will likely be showcased on the traditional automotive pageant Concorso dEleganza Villa dEste at Lake Como in Might. In July and August, the Louwman Museum in The Hague will current eight BMW Artwork Vehicles in a particular exhibition.
I additionally thought it could be good if girls may take part apart from standing round in bikinis.
Jenny Holzer, BMW Artwork Automobile #15, 1999
The BMW Museum, the house of the BMW Artwork Vehicles when they aren’t travelling the world, can be honouring the gathering by combining two anniversaries in a particular exhibition. The BMW 3 Collection can be celebrating its fiftieth anniversary in 2025, and beginning 16 June, the museum will showcase a historic overview of all BMW 3 Collection fashions in addition to the BMW M3 Artwork Vehicles by Sandro Chia, Michael Jagamara Nelson, and Ken Finished.
I believe cell museums could be a good suggestion. This automotive is the fulfilment of my dream. I wish to do ten extra.
Robert Rauschenberg, BMW Artwork Automobile #6, 1986
New Artwork Automobile e book, new Artwork Automobile mannequin, new Artwork Automobile vogue assortment.
Along with the exhibition programme, BMW is releasing numerous new artwork and way of life merchandise in celebration of the anniversary. The 1:18-scale miniature of the twentieth Artwork Automobile by Julie Mehretu is offered for buy throughout BMW Life-style Outlets, with a 1:43 model to observe later within the 12 months. Along with writer Hatje Cantz, BMW is presenting the third version of the “BMW Artwork Vehicles” catalogue. Interviews with the founders of the gathering and essays on every of the 20 Artwork Vehicles spotlight the artwork historic relevance and variety of the works. The quilt design of the brand new version is by Julie Mehretu. Following the favored Alexander Calder and Roy Lichtenstein vogue collections, the third collaboration with Puma based mostly on the BMW Artwork Vehicles will likely be introduced later this 12 months.
So you’ll be able to say, the BMW Artwork Automobile is unquestionably a typical Baldessari and the quickest art work I ever created!
John Baldessari, BMW Artwork Automobile #19, 2016
Born from ardour: a quick historical past of the BMW Artwork Automobile Assortment.
On 14 June 1975, the BMW 3.0 CSL designed by American sculptor Alexander Calder took to the monitor on the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The challenge was initially supposed as a one-time collaboration between the artist and BMW. The viewers cheered for the colorful racing automotive and youngsters rejoiced. BMW determined this needed to proceed! All of it started with the fervour for artwork and motorsport of French auctioneer and racing driver Hervé Poulain. In 1975, Poulain discovered a visionary ally in Jochen Neerpasch, founder and Head of BMW Motorsport, for his plan to enter a BMW designed by an artist within the legendary Le Mans endurance race. Though the primary BMW Artwork Automobile retired from the race after seven hours, it grew to become a real crowd favorite, laying the foundations for the gathering.
Hervé, win! However drive fastidiously!
Alexander Calder, BMW Artwork Automobile #1, 1975
In shut collaboration with legendary New York gallerist Leo Castelli, BMW Artwork Vehicles by American artists similar to Frank Stella, Roy Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol adopted and all had been raced by Hervé Poulain and the BMW group at Le Mans. From 1982 to 1992, the BMW Artwork Automobile Assortment opened as much as the world, with artists reworking numerous commonplace manufacturing fashions: Ernst Fuchs, Robert Rauschenberg, Michael Jagamara Nelson, Ken Finished, Matazo Kayama, César Manrique, A. R. Penck, Esther Mahlangu, Sandro Chia and David Hockney. In 1999, BMW returned to motorsport with the BMW V12 LMR prototype and American conceptual artist Jenny Holzer. Eight years later, Olafur Eliasson designed “Your cell expectations: BMW H₂R Challenge” based mostly on a record-breaking hydrogen race automotive. Jeff Koons, John Baldessari, Cao Fei, and Julie Mehretu have added dynamic race vehicles over the previous 15 years. Since its invention almost 140 years in the past, artists worldwide have engaged with the car each critically and enthusiastically. And during the last 50 years, the BMW Artwork Automobile sequence has contributed considerably to this inspiring dialogue.
These race vehicles are like life, they’re bursting with energy and have monumental power. My concepts are supposed to merge with this energy it is all about totally embracing it.
Jeff Koons, BMW Artwork Automobile #17, 2010
BMW Artwork Automobile World Tour 2025 (choice)
till 16 April 2025: Wits Artwork Museum, Johannesburg, South Africa
BMW Artwork Automobile #12 Esther Mahlangu
20-21 March 2025: SPARK Artwork Truthful and MAK Museum Vienna, Austria
Occasion (R)Evolution of Artwork of the BMW Niederlassung Wien
BMW Artwork Vehicles #3 Roy Lichtenstein, #4 Andy Warhol, #6 Robert Rauschenberg, #14 David Hockney, #16 Jeff Koons
28-30 March 2025: Artwork Basel in Hong Kong
BMW Artwork Automobile #20 Julie Mehretu
23 April-2 Might 2025: Shanghai Auto Present, China
BMW Artwork Automobile #20 Julie Mehretu
18-20 April 2025: Artwork Dubai, United Arab Emirates
BMW Artwork Automobile # TBA
Might 2025: 50 Years of BMW Switzerland, Zurich, Switzerland
BMW Artwork Vehicles #5 Ernst Fuchs, #8 Ken Finished, #11 A. R. Penck, #14 David Hockney, #15 Jenny Holzer, #19 John Baldessari
11th of September Might 2025: Taipei Dangdai, Taiwan
BMW Artwork Automobile # TBA
27 Might1 June 2025: Bratislava, Slovakia
BMW Artwork Vehicles #2 Frank Stella, #7 Michael Jagamara Nelson, #9 Matazo Kayama
15-18 Might 2025: Market Artwork Truthful, Stockholm, Sweden
BMW Artwork Vehicles #1 Alexander Calder, #3 Roy Lichtenstein, #4 Andy Warhol, #17 Jeff Koons
23-25 Might 2025: Concorso dEleganza Villa dEste, Lake Como, Italy
BMW Artwork Automobile #13 Sandro Chia
16 June 2025-1 January 2026: BMW Museum, Munich
BMW Artwork Vehicles #7 Michael Jagamara Nelson, #8 Ken Finished, #13 Sandro Chia
16 June 2025-31 August 2025: BMW Welt, Munich
BMW Artwork Vehicles #15 Jenny Holzer, #20 Julie Mehretu
27-29 June 2025: The Aurora, Båstad, Sweden
BMW Artwork Vehicles #1 Alexander Calder, #3 Roy Lichtenstein, #4 Andy Warhol, #17 Jeff Koons
3 July-31August, 2025: Louwman Museum, The Hague, Netherlands
BMW Artwork Vehicles #1 Alexander Calder, #2 Frank Stella, #3 Roy Lichtenstein, #4 Andy Warhol, #10 César Manrique, #12 Esther Mahlangu, #14 David Hockney, #17 Jeff Koons
24-28 September 2025: Modern Istanbul, Turkey
BMW Artwork Vehicles #1 Alexander Calder, #20 Julie Mehretu
The Artwork Automobile World Tour schedule continues to be evolving and can proceed by most of 2026. Additional stops and venues are deliberate, together with Australia, Belgium (Brussels, Zoute), China (Macau), Germany (Berlin, Munich, Düsseldorf), Kazakhstan, Latin America, Morocco (Marrakech), South Africa, Spain, Switzerland (Basel) and USA.
BMW Artwork Vehicles
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 635 CSi / 1982
6. Robert Rauschenberg / BMW 635 CSi / 1986
7. Michael Jagamara Nelson / BMW M3 Group A / 1989
8. Ken Finished / 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 850 CSi / 1995
15. Jenny Holzer / BMW V12 LMR / 1999
16. Olafur Eliasson / BMW H₂R / 2007
17. Jeff Koons / BMW M3 GT2 / 2010
18. Cao Fei / BMW M6 GT3 / 2016
19. John Baldessari / BMW M6 GTLM / 2016
20. Julie Mehretu / BMW M Hybrid V8 / 2024
Additional data on the BMW Artwork Automobile Assortment could be discovered right here.
