Filed under: Latest News
BMW is linking up with the ICA (Institute of Contemporary Art), the Mayor of London and the London 2012 Festival to put on an exhibition of BMW Art Cars painted by such famous names as Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol and David Hockney.
The exhibition will take place in Shoreditch, the home of BritArt, and the only place in the world where a genuine appeal for a lost cat was once mistaken for a piece of installation art by Tracy Emin. It will be in an NCP car park at 35 Great Eastern Street EC2A 3ER from 21 July - 4 August 2012.
The first BMW Art Car was designed for the 1975 Le Mans 24 hours when French racing driver and auctioneer Hervé Poulain invited his friend Alexander Calder to design a car that married artistic excellence to 'an already perfect object' (his words, not ours).
Since then some of the biggest names in contemporary art have added to the collection creating a wide range of artistic interpretations. David Hockney's 1995 Art Car paints the inside of the car on the outside, revealing everything from internal engine parts to a dog in the back. Rauschenberg incorporates photographic transfers of Ingres paintings while Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein used the canvas of the car to try and portray the essence of speed.