Munich. The countdown for the revealing of the twentieth BMW Art Car is underway. On twenty first May, the BMW M Hybrid V8, designed by artist Julie Mehretu and set to compete on the 24 Hours of Le Mans on fifteenth/sixteenth June, will probably be introduced on the Centre Pompidou in Paris, France. The artist is already offering glimpses into her work. Additionally, it’s now confirmed that the Art Car will carry the beginning quantity 20 and will probably be pushed by Sheldon van der Linde (RSA), Robin Frijns (NED), and René Rast (GER).
The #20 BMW M Hybrid V8 would be the first Art Car for the reason that 2017 season, the place the BMW M6 GTLM designed by John Baldessari raced on the 24 Hours of Daytona (USA), adopted by the digital BMW M6 GT3 Art Car by Cao Fei on the FIA GT World Cup in Macau (CHN). In the previous, essentially the most well-known BMW Art Cars have participated in Le Mans: in 1975, Alexander Calder’s BMW 3.0 CSL, in 1976, Frank Stella’s BMW 3.0 CSL, in 1977, Roy Lichtenstein’s BMW 320i Turbo, in 1979, Andy Warhol’s BMW M1, in 1999, Jenny Holzer’s BMW V12 LMR, and in 2010, Jeff Koons’ BMW M3 GT2. This illustrious assortment is now enriched by Julie Mehretu’s BMW M Hybrid V8.
Fusion of picture motif and racing automotive creates artwork on wheels.
For the design of the twentieth BMW Art Car, Mehretu makes use of the color and type vocabulary of an current large-format portray from a more moderen collection of works: obscured images, dotted grids, neon-coloured spray paint and Mehretu’s iconic gestural markings give her design an summary visible type. She transfers the ensuing picture motif as a high-resolution {photograph} onto the automobile’s contours utilizing a 3D mapping approach. This creates the distinctive creative foiling with which the BMW M Hybrid V8 will compete within the Le Mans race.
For the primary time, Mehretu is working with BMW on a three-dimensional format. The interaction of the surfaces and geometry of the automobile creates a remix of components of her portray and opens up new views for the artist in her inventive course of. In accordance with the laws of the FIA, the 3D model of the art work can solely be utilized to the BMW M Hybrid V8 with a movie wrap. For this, Mehretu is working carefully with the German Race Spirit group led by Manuel Eberl and Gertraud Brenninger to design the twentieth BMW Art Car. Race Spirit was already concerned in realising the design created by Jeff Koons for the seventeenth BMW Art Car.
Quotes on the twentieth BMW Art Car.
Julie Mehretu: “It wasn’t until after going to the 24 Hours race in Daytona last year that the idea of how to approach the BMW Art Car really crystallised. I was thinking about Frank Stella’s grid and how this could also be a shout-out to former BMW Art Car artists. And I kept thinking of this painting in my studio that I had just finished and the model of the Art Car was in my studio and I thought maybe we can try to have the car move through this painting. The creative play of what you can do in this new three-dimensional space and how many imaginations and inventions are played out to build it is highly instructive. It is not just the car itself but the designers and their deliberations as well as and foremost the drivers and their desires and aspirations which make it become this place of dreams where painting, conceptual art, aerodynamics, speed and aesthetics can participate.”
Franciscus van Meel, CEO of BMW M GmbH: “The prospect of competing in a BMW Art Car at the 24 Hours of Le Mans is an additional incentive for the entire M Motorsport team to prepare the BMW M Hybrid V8 as perfectly as possible for this big stage. In the 100th year of the race’s existence and 25 years after BMW’s last victory at Le Mans, winning there with a BMW Art Car would be the greatest possible success for all of us.”
Sheldon van der Linde: “I’m a big fan of the art that the BMW Art Cars represent. I still remember seeing the last Art Car, driven by Augusto Farfus in Macau in 2017. I’m proud to now be part of an Art Car crew myself. I haven’t seen the design yet, but I’m extremely curious and confident it will look really cool. For us, it’s something special to be even more in the spotlight at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, as if that wasn’t already the case at such a big event.”
Robin Frijns: “It’s the primary time in my profession that I’m driving a automotive with a particular design. That it is going to be one of many well-known BMW Art Cars is incredible. With such a automotive, we’ll stand out from the remainder of the sphere in Le Mans and appeal to consideration from each the media and followers. I’m positive we’ll have an action-packed week in Le Mans. Our objective is to be aggressive with the BMW M Hybrid V8 Art Car and obtain a great outcome.”
René Rast: “It’s a great honour to drive a BMW Art Car and thus become part of a very special story. As drivers, we will undoubtedly be more in the media spotlight than usual. I am very much looking forward to being a part of it.”