Since 1975, BMW has been running its unique Art Car Project, allowing artists such as Alexander Calder, Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein to produce some unique paint jobs. We’ve seen some stunning results over time, including an incredible BMW i8 paying tribute to 50 years of Italy. This latest creation from conceptual California artist John Baldessari is based on the BMW M6 GTLM. The 19th BMW Art Car made its debut at the Art Basel in Miami this week and, like other BMW Art Cars, will go on to race at Daytona next year in January.
It’s also very fast. In case you didn't already know this, it has the word “FAST” subtly embedded on the side of the car. It’s certainly justified, though: beneath its pretty exterior lies a turbocharged 4.4-liter V8 producing 585 hp. The BMW M6 GTLM proved to be a new challenge for the renowned 86 year old California artist. “I have done only one work in my life involving a car before, and that was an image of a car. So for the BMW Art Car project, I entered uncharted territory, not just in terms of the subject, but also moving from two- to three-dimensional art. A challenge I did enjoy!” Baldessari explained in a statement about the design process.
“The ideas all came at once: for instance, the red dot on the roof, so you can see it from above, FAST on one side and a picture of the car on the other side. Considering the car as an icon of contemporary life, my concept turned out playfully satirical, but it also highlights some of the trademark ideas that I use. So you can say, the BMW Art Car is definitely a typical Baldessari and the fastest artwork I ever created!” The BMW M6 GTLM joins other legendary Art Cars in BMW’s long-running project, such as Alexander Calder’s famous BMW 3.0 CSL design, which raced at the 24 hours of Le Mans and still holds up today.
No comments:
Post a Comment