BMW Ushers In Latest ‘Art Car’, A Flashy Racing Masterpiece By Julie Mehretu
By Mikelle Leow, 23 May 2024
BMW Art Car #20 with artist Julie Mehretu. Photo: Tereza Mundilová © BMW AG (05/2024)
A new BMW Art Car—the automaker’s 20th—has parked and marked its spot. This powerhouse on wheels, a striking BMW M Hybrid V8 designed by Ethiopian-born American artist Julie Mehretu, is set to not only turn heads at prestigious exhibitions but also compete in the grueling 24 Hours of Le Mans in June 2024.
Mehretu’s design draws inspiration from the color and form vocabulary of her monumental painting Everywhen (2021–2023), currently standing at the artist’s Ensemble exhibition at the Pinault Collection - Palazzo Grassi in Venice. Everywhen is destined for a prestigious future, becoming part of the permanent collection at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York.
BMW Art Car #20 by artist Julie Mehretu. Photo: Tereza Mundilová © BMW AG (05/2024)
This Art Car is a complex and visually arresting composition. Layered on its bodywork are digitally manipulated photographs, overlaid with grids of dots, bursts of black markings, and washes of neon colors. This creates a sense of movement and dynamism, reflecting the vehicle’s dual nature as a high-performance machine and a rolling work of art.
BMW Art Car #20 with artist Julie Mehretu. Photo: Tereza Mundilová © BMW AG (05/2024)
Standing in front of her Everywhen painting with the BMW M Hybrid V8 model, the renowned artist envisioned the car itself moving through the painting.
BMW Art Car #20 by artist Julie Mehretu. Photo: Tereza Mundilová © BMW AG (05/2024)
“I don’t think of this car as something you would exhibit. I am thinking of it as something that will race in Le Mans. It’s a performative painting,” Mehretu expresses. “The BMW Art Car is only completed once the race is over.”
BMW Art Car #20 by artist Julie Mehretu. Photo: Tereza Mundilová © BMW AG (05/2024)
This fusion of image and machine was achieved through intensive 3D mapping technology. The technique allowed for the intricate design to be woven into the car's curved surfaces, ensuring it remains race-ready. BMW Motorsport drivers Sheldon van der Linde (RSA), Robin Frijns (NED), and René Rast (GER) will proudly pilot the 20th BMW Art Car with starting number 20 at the Circuit de la Sarthe on June 15.
BMW Art Car #20 with artist Julie Mehretu. Photo: Tereza Mundilová © BMW AG (05/2024)
Just like the drivers, Mehretu eagerly awaits the race. “I went to see the BMW M Hybrid V8 race in Daytona, and this experience was overwhelming,” she says. “Designers, engineers, aerodynamicists and so many other creative minds are working on taking this vehicle to its extreme. When it goes out on the racetrack now, so many dreams will be fulfilled.”
BMW Art Car #20 with artist Julie Mehretu. Photo: Tereza Mundilová © BMW AG (05/2024)
Before the big race, art and speed enthusiasts can catch a glimpse of the BMW Art Car at the Concorso d’Eleganza at Villa d’Este in Lake Como. Mehretu will be present to unveil the 20th edition of the Art Car Collection alongside other iconic BMW Art Cars by Alexander Calder, Frank Stella, Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol, Jenny Holzer, and Jeff Koons—all of which also made their racing debuts at Le Mans. On May 26, Mehretu will shed more light into the creative process with Adrian van Hooydonk, head of BMW Group Design, during an artist talk.
BMW Art Car #20 by artist Julie Mehretu. Photo: Andreas Hempel © BMW AG (05/2024)
BMW Art Car #20 by artist Julie Mehretu. Photo: Andreas Hempel © BMW AG (05/2024)
[via CNN, Motorsport Week, Top Gear, images via BMW Group]