BMW Art Car World Tour next stop: Warhol’s legendary car wins everybody’s heart in Dubai.
BMW’s legendary ‘Art Car World Tour’ recently finished another breathtaking stop—this time in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The tour features those rare BMW vehicles that have been designed by the world-renowned artists as ‘rolling sculptures.’ The largest attraction this time was Andy Warhol’s painted 1979 BMW M1, arguably the most well-known car in this whole collection.
Now you might wonder why this car was so special. So let us inform you, Andy Warhol himself painted this car with his own hands, and that too within only 28 minutes! And what is interesting about it is that he did not practice by making a small replica first—as other artists had done.
When Frank Stella, Alexander Calder, and Roy Lichtenstein created their automobiles in 1975, 1976, and 1977, they initially made small models that were then copied onto the actual car by BMW artisans. But Warhol didn’t hesitate—he just grabbed a brush and painted the whole M1 in one sitting, using 13 pounds of paint.
His intention was to demonstrate the speed of this sports car by way of art. Warhol himself stated, “I tried to show speed as a visual image. When a car goes very fast, all the lines and colors turn into a blur.”
This vehicle was not only a trophy car—it also competed in actual competition. Hervé Poulain, Marcel Mignot, and Manfred Winkelhock competed with this M1 in the 1979 24 Hours of Le Mans, and the vehicle took 6th place, albeit then retired. It is currently housed in the BMW Museum.
Now it’s time for Taiwan and Switzerland.
Warhol’s M1 was also recently shown at the ‘(R)EVOLUTION OF ART’ exhibition in Vienna and was the sole Art Car exhibited by BMW at the ‘Art Dubai’ fair in Dubai. Art Dubai, which has been an annual event since 2007, is today regarded as the largest international art festival in the Middle East. This year it presented over 120 pieces of art by artists from over 40 countries—including Warhol’s iconic M1.
The next destination on BMW’s Art Car World Tour is Taiwan on May 9-11, but as yet, it has not been announced which cars will be exhibited there. The tour then proceeds to Bratislava (Slovakia), where Art Cars by Frank Stella (#2), Michael Jagamara Nelson (#7), and Matazo Kayama (#9) will be exhibited.
BMW will then celebrate 50 years in Switzerland—with the largest Art Car display ever, featuring six cars:
- Ernst Fuchs’ 1982 BMW 635 CSi (#5)
- Ken Done’s 1989 BMW M3 Group A (#8)
- A. R. Penck’s 1991 BMW Z1 (#11)
- David Hockney’s 1995 BMW 850 CSi (#14)
- Jenny Holzer’s 1999 BMW V12 LMR (#15)
- and John Baldessari’s 2016 BMW M6 GTLM (#19)
Not only do these tours and exhibitions feature BMW automobiles, but also the BMW Group’s contribution towards arts and culture. In the recent past, BMW has also initiated the 20th Art Car project with Julie Mehretu, as well as initiated the ‘African Film and Media Arts Collective’ to give a new platform to African filmmakers and artists.
BMW Art Car World Tour. Confirmed Dates, Locations And Artists
| Until 16 April | Johannesburg, South Africa | Esther Mahlangu (#12) |
| TBC May | Zurich, Switzerland | Ernst Fuchs (#5), Ken Done (#8), A. R. Penck (#11), David Hockney (#14), Jenny Holzer (#15), John Baldessari (#19) |
| 9-11 May | Taipei Dangdai, Taiwan | TBA |
| 27 May–1 June | Bratislava, Slovakia | Frank Stella (#2), Michael Jagamara Nelson (#7), Matazo Kayama (#9) |
| 15-18 May | Stockholm, Sweden | Alexander Calder (#1), Roy Lichtenstein (#3), Andy Warhol (#4), Jeff Koons (#17) |
| 23-25 May | Lake Como, Italy | Sandro Chia (#13) |
| 16 June-1 January | Munich, Germany | Michael Jagamara Nelson (#7), Ken Done (#8), Sandro Chia (#13) |
| 16 June-31 August | Munich, Germany | Jenny Holzer (#15), Julie Mehretu (#20) |
| 27-29 June | Båstad, Sweden | Alexander Calder (#1), Roy Lichtenstein (#3), Andy Warhol (#4), Jeff Koons (#17) |
| 3 July-31August | The Hague, Netherlands | Alexander Calder (#1), Frank Stella (#2), Roy Lichtenstein (#3), Andy Warhol (#4), César Manrique (#10), Esther Mahlangu (#12), David Hockney (#14), Jeff Koons (#17) |
| 24-28 September | Istanbul, Turkey | Alexander Calder (#1), Julie Mehretu (#20) |
FAQs
Q1: What is the BMW Art Car World Tour?
A1: It’s a global exhibition featuring BMW vehicles transformed into artworks by famous artists, highlighting the fusion of art and automotive design.
Q2: Why is Andy Warhol’s BMW M1 so special?
A2: Warhol painted the M1 himself in just 28 minutes, unlike other artists who used models first, making it an iconic and spontaneous work of art.
Q3: What inspired Warhol’s design on the BMW M1?
A3: Warhol aimed to capture the sensation of speed visually, using bold, blurred lines to evoke motion as seen when a fast car passes by.