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from around the world have been commissioned to create a
work for BMW and their “mobile sculptures.” As expounded
by Robert Rauschenberg in 1986, “I think mobile museums
would be a good idea. This car is the fulfilment of my dream.”
French racing driver Hervé Poulain had the original idea in the
early 1970’s to give an artist free rein with an automobile,
and he commissioned Alexander Calder to paint his BMW
racing car. This was the beginning of the Art Car Collection.
In the early years, primarily racing cars were selected as
the “canvas.” – some even started in the renowned 24-hour
Le Mans race. Later, the Art Car Collection was extended to
include series-produced vehicles.
Following the seminal work by Calder, the subsequent artists
selected for the Art Car Collection include some of the most
significant artists of the contemporary art world- Frank
Stella, Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol, Robert Rauschenberg,
A.R. Penck, David Hockney, Jenny Holzer and Olafur Eliasson.
BMW Art Cars reflect the cultural and historical development
of art, design, and technology. As truly mobile museums, they
are often on display at museums and galleries throughout the
world, including the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the Mori Art
Museum in Tokyo, the Contemporary Art Centre in Warsaw
and the Guggenheim Museum New York.
The current commission is for two artists to each design a car
– Chinese artist Cao Fei (born 1978) and American artist John
Baldessari (born 1931) will be the youngest and the oldest
artist represented in the collection respectively. These two
pieces will be presented on the race track and subsequently
in museums in 2017. Embracing interdisciplinary product
design and architecture
Like for every automobile manufacturer, a core aspect of the
BMW Group’s operations is product design. For them, the
design doesn’t stop with the automobile industry. Engaging
dialogue and partnering with “starchitects,”
is another means of the corporate
commitment and success in arts and culture.
Zaha Hadid, Pritzker Award-winning
architect and UNESCO Artist for Peace, was
one of the contributors to the BMW Group
with her 2005 design of their Leipzig Plant.
She states, “As contemporary society doesn’t
stand still, architecture and design must
evolve with the patterns of life. I think what
is new in our generation is a greater level of
social complexity – which is reflected in its
art, architecture and design.”
Global art partners and programs – good for
society and good for business
The firm develops and fosters a significant
number of partnerships around the world,
with participation and presence at major
art fairs, music festivals and other cultural
groups. In addition to fulfilling social
responsibility, an important aspect of the
company’s leadership philosophy is to
connect with their client’s lifestyles, which
is good for business.
Innovative programs support emerging
artists, new media and trends
Rather than assuming a traditional corporate
sponsorship role, the BMW Group is forging
creative partnerships with preeminent art
organizations including Art Basel, Tate and
Guggenheim.
The BMW Art Journey is a new global art
initiative launched by BMW and Art Basel in
2015 to promote young international artists.
Like a mobile studio, the BMW Art Journey
award enables selected artists to take a
journey of creative discovery to a destination
of their choosing – to conduct research,
make contacts and create new works.
BMW Tate Live is a long-term partnership
between BMW and Tate geared towards
innovative performances, interdisciplinary
art and curation of the digital space. A global
partnership was created in 2011 with the
Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation and
the BMW Group with the launch of the BMW
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