BMW Art Cars were introduced by French racing driver Hervé Poulain. His ambition was to merge art and racing cars. The idea became a reality when Poulain invited American artist Alexander Calder to decorate a BMW 3.0 CSL that Poulain himself drove in the 1975 Le Mans 24 Hours. This was the start of a series of artistically designed cars that served as both working race cars and rolling works of art.
A sensation for art and car enthusiasts
Since 1975, BMW has created 19 Art Cars in the spirit of Hervé Poulain. Each Art Car is made in collaboration with an important contemporary artist. And the list of artists who contributed to this project is an admirable achievement in itself. It includes artists such as Olafur Eliasson, Jeff Koons, David Hockney, Jenny Holzer, Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Rauschenberg, Frank Stella, and Andy Warhol to name just a few.
BMW Art Cars have not only been a platform for artists’ creativity, but also a way to unite art and car enthusiasts. The cars tour the world every year and have been exhibited in prestigious locations such as the Louvre, the Guggenheim Museum, and many others.
But they have never stopped in Denmark. Before now. On the occasion of ARTEXPERIENCE 2024, art and car enthusiasts can experience these three Art Cars: Alexander Calder / BMW 3.0 CSL / 1975, Andy Warhol / BMW M1 / 1979, Jeff Koons / BMW M3 GT2 / 2010.
“ARTEXPERIENCE is an experience that transcends the boundaries between art and technology. For us, it is a privilege to be able to create a framework for a fusion of aesthetic value and advanced engineering – in the spirit of BMW,” says Kasper Olsson, Marketing Director at Jan Nygaard AS.
A different approach to new Nordic art
The Art Cars exhibition is part of Art Nordics and BMW Experience Center’s ARTEXPERIENCE exhibition, which will be held for the second time in 2024. The vision behind ARTEXPERIENCE, as with all of Art Nordic’s activities, is to create a different way of experiencing new Nordic art. At the exhibition, you can experience with your own ears and eyes what’s happening on the Nordic art scene in photography, painting, sculpture and many other artistic disciplines.
“The unique thing about Art Nordic’s exhibitions is that art lovers can meet the artists in person. It’s an opportunity to share experiences and thoughts about art and find new pieces for your home and collection. We look forward to repeating the success of last year’s exhibition at the BMW Experience Center. And we’re especially excited to see art merge with technology as we exhibit side by side with Warhol, Calder and Koons art cars,” says Loa Brix, owner of Art Nordic.
About ARTEXPERIENCE
Opening hours
May 3: 16.00 – 19.00
May 4: 10.00 – 18.00
May 5: 10.00 – 16.00
Tickets
Pre-sale: 95 kr
At the door: 115 kr.
Children under 12 years old free of charge.
Address
BMW Experience Center, Jan Nygaard AS
Firskovvej 33, 2800 Kongens Lyngby
Exhibitors
Stay tuned to Art Nordic’s website as the catalog is updated: www.art-nordic.dk
