PressClub Canada · Article.
Blueprint for the car. The BMW Art Car by Frank Stella in miniature.
Mon Nov 29 15:30:00 CET 2004 Press Release
"My design is like a blueprint that has been transferred to the bodywork", says Frank Stella, artist and passionate fan of car racing, describing the design of his BMW Art Car. In 1976, he converted a BMW 3.0 CSL into a work of art - like all BMW Art Cars, a unique piece of inestimable value. But for anyone who wants to get close to this truly magnificent jewel, the BMW racing coupe designed by Frank Stella is now also available in miniature.
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BMW Group
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Author.
Kevin Marcotte
BMW Group
In his design, Stella was inspired by the car's technical charisma. The result
was a black and white square framework that fits exactly over the entire car
and acts like over-sized millimetre-squared paper. Within the framework,
pattern-like lines criss-cross the bodywork. Even in its small format, the
miniature conveys to the observer the unusual idea of an artist who understands
the resulting colour pattern as pleasant decoration for the vehicle.
The idea for the BMW Art Cars came about in 1975, when the auctioneer and
racing driver of the 24-hour race at Le Mans, Hervé Poulain, was looking for a
link between art and motor racing. He had his BMW 3.0 CSL designed as a work of
art by his friend, the American artist Alexander Calder. The first BMW Art Car
was born. And it's not just art collectors and BMW fans who hold the uniqueness
of BMW's Art Cars in high esteem. Since 1975, some of the most important
artists of the century have been lending their own individual artistic style to
the design of BMW cars. The collection has become a reflection of contemporary
culture - as exemplary as they are unique. Each car is a masterpiece in itself.
In addition to the new miniature by Frank Stella, there are already BMW Art Car
miniatures from Alexander Calder, A.R. Penck, Jenny Holzer, Andy Warhol, Ernst
Fuchs, Michael Jagamara Nelson and Sandro Chia. Soon, there will be fifteen BMW
Art Cars in miniature format.
The Art Car miniatures are available in a scale of 1:18, boasting a wealth of
details and a level of manufacturing precision that matches the originals.
Specific attention has been paid when creating the miniatures to include every
artistic aspect of the originals, in order to create perfect pieces of art in
miniature too.
The original BMW Art Car miniatures are available worldwide from BMW dealers
and in selected museum shops.
Fine-data photo material can be called up from the BMW Group Press Club at
www.press.bmwgroup.com .
For queries or information, please contact:
Anja Fahs, BMW Lifestyle Press Service
Service Line: +49-89-121 75-235, Fax: +49-89-121 75-197
Karin Elvers, BMW Group, Public Relations, General Interest Media
Telephone: +49-89-382-23742, Fax: +49-89-382-28017
Internet: www.press.bmwgroup.com
E-mail: bmw@f-und-h.de