The BMW Art Car By Julie Mehretu.
Unveiling of the BMW Art Car #20 designed by Julie Mehretu at the world premiere at the Centre Pompidou, Paris.
Julie Mehretu working on the BMW Art Car #20 in Munich. Photo by André Josselin.
20th BMW Art Car
What a journey for the 20th BMW Art Car, designed by Julie Mehretu. From its premiere at the Centre Pompidou in Paris to its unveiling at the prestigious Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este, here at the nearby Villa Erba where other Art Cars are showcased. A special shout-out to New York-based contemporary artist Julie Mehretu for transforming a BMW M Hybrid V8 race car into a dynamic and stunning work of art, continuing the proud tradition of BMW Art Cars and competitive racing.
For almost 50 years, BMW has been creating racing cars that are both works of art and virtually priceless: the BMW M Art Cars. In 1975, French auctioneer and amateur racing driver Hervé Poulain dreamed of driving to victory in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in a racing car styled by an artist. BMW Motorsport, established just three years earlier, recognized the potential of this seemingly crazy idea. A few months later, Poulain lined up at the start of Le Mans in the BMW 3.0 CSL designed by Alexander Calder.
From New York to Munich, Julie Mehretu took an innovative approach by transforming a two-dimensional image into a three-dimensional representation for the first time. She succeeded in bringing dynamism into form, pushing the boundaries of artistic expression. Julie Mehretu used the color and form vocabulary of her monumental painting “Everywhen” (2021 – 2023) as a starting point for her design. The work is currently viewed at “Ensemble”, the artist’s exhibition at the Pinault Collection – Palazzo Grassi in Venice. It will subsequently become part of the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York.
“The whole BMW Art Car project is about invention, imagination, pushing limits of what can be possible. I don’t think of this car as something you would exhibit. I am thinking of it as something that will race in Le Mans. It’s a performative painting. My BMW Art Car was created in close collaboration with motorsport and engineering teams,” says Julie Mehretu. “The BMW Art Car is only completed once the race ends.”
It was a treat to be present when Julie Mehretu introduced the 20th edition of the BMW Art Car Collection on the grounds of Villa Erba. Her work was showcased alongside the BMW Art Cars by Alexander Calder (1975), Frank Stella (1976), Roy Lichtenstein (1977), Andy Warhol (1979), Jenny Holzer (1999), and Jeff Koons (2010), all of which, like Mehretu’s car, made their race debut at Le Mans. Now, experience the video to follow the creation process of the latest BMW Art Car by abstract painter Julie Mehretu.
Artist Julie Mehretu and UnnamedProject founder Ken Panton.
Julie Mehretu working on the BMW Art Car #20 in New York City. Photo by Jackie Furtado.
