There are some big birthdays over at BMW this year, with the famous 'Art Cars' celebrating 40 years in 2015. And now an exhibition of five of these 'rolling sculptures' is doing a world tour.
The first BMW Art Car was a 3.0 CSL decorated by Alexander Calder, at the behest of French driver Hervé Poulain, which took part in the 1975 Le Mans. The car was such a hit with fans that a further 16 have been released at irregular intervals over the following four decades.
BMW has managed to get the first four - Calder's CSL, Frank Stella's 1976 3.0 CSL, Roy Lichtenstein's 1977 320 Group 5 and Andy Warhol's 1979 M1 Group 4 - and the 2010 BMW M3 GT2 painted by Jeff Koons on the road. So far, this quintet has already been to Hong Kong, the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the BMW Museum in Munich (where a number of these Art Cars normally reside) and at the Concours d'Elegance at Lake Como. Further presentations will follow later this year in New York, Miami and Shanghai.
Anything else?
"The BMW Art Cars provide an exciting landmark at the interface where cars, technology, design, art and motorsport meet," said Maximilian Schöberl, senior vice president for Corporate and Governmental Affairs, BMW Group. "The 40-year history of our 'rolling sculptures' is as unique as the artists who created them. The BMW Art Cars are an essential element and core characteristic of our global cultural engagement."
To find any social media coverage of the 40th birthday of the Art Cars, search for #BMWArtCar on the usual sites.