Meet the Legends: BMW
If racing is an art form, then BMW unquestionably leads the creative charge, with its long tradition of ‘Art Cars’ – a dynamic fusion of automobiles and art – turning heads on and off-track for almost half-a-century.
The German manufacturer is the next subject of our ‘Meet the Legends’ docuseries.
In 1975, at the suggestion of French racing driver and art collector, Hervé Poulain, BMW commissioned American sculptor Alexander Calder to conceive what would become the brand’s first Art Car – a distinctive BMW 3.0 CSL ‘Batmobile’ that Poulain drove in that year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Fast forward through a collection of cars coloured by renowned international artists including Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol – the man behind the legendary ‘Pop Art’ BMW M1 – and Jeff Koons, and in 2024, the milestone 20th BMW Art Car competed at La Sarthe in the shape of the BMW M Hybrid V8, sporting a matching race number and a design by Julie Mehretu.
The contemporary American painter was inspired by the atmosphere and buzz of a live motor racing event, and the blood, sweat and tears poured into BMW M Team WRT’s endurance racing programme by everybody involved. Conversations with the squad’s engineers, technicians and drivers helped to hone her abstract vision – dotted with debris and flaunting a gritty graffiti effect. Like her predecessors, she was afforded complete freedom to employ the technique of her choice.
The result was a unique look that she describes as a ‘performative painting’. In ‘The Art of Speed’, Mehretu is joined by Head of BMW M Motorsport, Andreas Roos, BMW Group Cultural Engagement spokesperson Christiane Pyka, BMW M factory driver Sheldon van der Linde and FIA World Endurance Championship specialist, Sam Smith as they discuss the dedication, passion and attention-to-detail common to artists and race teams alike.
Space, movement and energy have always been central motifs in Mehretu’s work, and as she transformed a two-dimensional image into a three-dimensional representation, she used her canvas as a playground for creativity while exploring the limits of the possible. Much the same can be said of BMW M Team WRT every time it takes to the track...
You can watch the episode here.
