BMW Art Car by Esther Mahlangu at Museum of Arts and Design in New York City

Mahlangu uses the traditional painting technique of her African Ndebele tribe. The stylistically distinctive and well-known Ndebele patterns are created exclusively by the women of the tribe. Esther Mahlangu is considered the leading representative of this art form, having achieved international acknowledgement for her work. Born in South Africa in 1936, Esther Mahlangu was taught the traditional painting technique of the Ndebele tribe by her mother.  She upholds the traditions of her tribe and already began passing on her knowledge to her daughter many years ago. 

“Ndebele art has, in an entirely natural way, something slightly formal but very majestic about it; through my work I have added the idea of movement,” said Esther Mahlangu. “My art has evolved from our tribal tradition of decorating the home,” says the African painter Esther Mahlangu commenting on her work.

By painting the BMW 525i she has passed on her tribe’s traditional means of expression to an object of contemporary technology. In order to develop a feel for the completely new medium, she initially painted the door of another


BMW before beginning with the design of the Art Car. Within one week she had transformed the car into a masterpiece of African Ndebele art.

Since 1975, artists from throughout the world have turned BMW automobiles into art signifying a particular period through the Art Car program. Many of the cars by the likes of Warhol, Lichtenstein, Stella, Rauschenberg, Hockney and Holzer have been exhibited in renowned museums throughout the world including the Louvre, the Guggenheim Museums, and the Shanghai Art Museum. Over the 35 years of the BMW Art Car program, 17 art cars have been added to the collection; the most recent is the BMW M3 GT2 by Jeff Koons that was unveiled earlier this year. Mahlangu was the first female and first African BMW Art Car artist to join the program.

High-quality pictures of BMW Art Cars can be downloaded from the “Photo” section at www.press.bmwgroup.com (search string “Art Car”).

Video of Esther Mahlangu and her BMW Art Car can be found at: www.bmwusanews.com/artsandculture.

Ends/

Media enquiries:

Stacy Morris

Marketing Communications Manager

BMW of North America, LLC

Tel: (201) 594-3360

Email: stacy.morris@bmwna.com

OR

Edward Makwana

Manager: Group Automotive Communications

BMW South Africa (Pty) Ltd

Tel No:  +27-12-522-2227

Mobile: +27-83-717-3184

E-Mail: edward.makwana@bmw.co.za

About the BMW Group

The BMW Group is one of the most successful manufacturers of automobiles and motorcycles in the world with its BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce brands. As a global company, the BMW Group operates 24 production facilities in 13 countries and has a global sales network in more than 140 countries.

The BMW Group achieved a global sales volume of approximately 1.29 million automobiles and over 87,000 motorcycles for the 2009 financial year. Revenues totalled euro 50.68 billion. At 31 December 2009, the company employed a global workforce of approximately 96,000 associates.

The success of the BMW Group has always been built on long-term thinking and responsible action. The company has therefore established ecological and social sustainability throughout the value chain, comprehensive product responsibility and a clear commitment to conserving resources as an integral part of its strategy. As a result of its efforts, the BMW Group has been ranked industry leader in the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes for the last six years