BMW and Jeff Koons Present THE 8 X JEFF KOONS, a Limited Edition BMW 8 Series Gran Coupe Customized by the Legendary American Artist.

• THE 8 X JEFF KOONS is a limited edition of the BMW 8 Series Gran Coupe customized by legendary American artist Jeff Koons, exclusively limited to 99 models worldwide.
• With a unique exterior and interior personally customized by Koons, the limited edition is one of the most elaborate custom designs in BMW’s history, requiring several hundred hours of unique paintwork for each vehicle.
• THE 8 X JEFF KOONS debuts on the occasion of Frieze Los Angeles.  It will then be displayed on New York City’s iconic Rockefeller Plaza from April 1-4 in advance of a charity auction at Christie’s New York on April 4, 2022.

Woodcliff Lake, NJ – February 16, 2022… BMW and Jeff Koons debuted today THE 8 X JEFF KOONS, a new chapter in the brand’s long-term relationship with the legendary American artist. The special edition BMW 8 Series Gran Coupe features a completely custom design inside and out personally created by Koons himself and will be exclusively limited to 99 models worldwide. THE 8 X JEFF KOONS makes its digital world premiere today on the occasion of Frieze Los Angeles, the art fair of which BMW is an official partner; Jeff Koons is represented globally, and at Frieze Los Angeles, by Pace Gallery. Following the digital world premiere, THE 8 X JEFF KOONS will be displayed in New York City’s iconic Rockefeller Plaza from April 1-4, and a charity auction at Christie’s New York on April 4, 2022. THE 8 X JEFF KOONS becomes available for pre-order by U.S. customers February 16, 2022 at 6:01 PM EST exclusively through www.bmwusa.com.

“My edition of the BMW 8 Series Gran Coupe is a dream come true. It is completely unique, very special to me and I’ve wanted to create a special edition BMW for a long time,” said Jeff Koons. “What matters is how we relate to each other and our awareness of everything we are surrounded by. This principle drove my creative vision for THE 8 X JEFF KOONS, and it’s an exciting next chapter of co-creation with BMW.”

“Working with Jeff Koons again has inspired us all – throughout headquarters and across our worldwide team,” said Oliver Zipse, chairman of the Board of Management, BMW AG. “Never before in the history of our company has a BMW been created with such an extensive design effort as THE 8 X JEFF KOONS. A 'rolling sculpture' that will not only be displayed as a coveted collector's item in museums but will also be allowed to flourish on the road as a genuine BMW.”

THE 8 X JEFF KOONS

THE 8 X JEFF KOONS represents one of the most extensive custom factory production processes ever undertaken by BMW, and its unique exterior and interior liveries are authentic artistic creations by Jeff Koons himself. The vehicle’s exterior features expressive and striking graphic design, combining eleven different exterior colors. Koons incorporated many shades of blue in particular, resembling the vastness of space, tying into the fact that the BMW 8 Series is a globally available product – a key theme of Koons’ work being without borders.

The exploding lines of color at the rear are an homage to the artist's 2010 BMW Art Car, an E92 M3 GT2 that was raced at the 24 Hours of Le Mans; the "POP!" on each side and “vapor thrust” imagery symbolize the vehicle’s power and speed. The multi-colored interior is comprised of high-end materials, fine leather and a cupholder lid with special “THE 8 X JEFF KOONS” badging paired with Koons’ iconic signature. The seats are made up of striking red and blue hues, evoking not only BMW’s high-performance M division but also the world of superheroes and comic books, a key inspiration in the theme of power that Koons brought to life in the special edition’s design.

The paint process of THE 8 x JEFF KOONS requires 11 different stages and several hundred hours per vehicle to complete. The exterior livery and interior colorways are completely exclusive to the special edition and were developed by Koons himself and BMW’s design and engineering teams through several collaborative visits to BMW’s world headquarters by the artist over several months. Two cars will be produced per week by specialized teams at BMW Group Plant Dingolfing and BMW Group Plant Landshut, both located in Bavaria, Germany. Each finished vehicle comes with a large-format certificate of authenticity containing its unique vehicle identification number (VIN), personally signed by Jeff Koons and BMW Chairman and CEO Oliver Zipse.

THE 8 X JEFF KOONS is exclusively offered as an M850i xDrive Gran Coupe in the U.S. market and is priced at USD $350,000 plus $995 destination and handling.

LIVE CHARITY AUCTION

THE 8 X JEFF KOONS will make its in-person U.S. debut on New York City’s iconic Rockefeller Plaza from April 1 to April 4, 2022. One vehicle from the limited edition’s 99-unit global production run will be offered in a live auction by world-renowned auction house Christie's on April 4, 2022. All proceeds from the vehicle’s auction price will be donated to The International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC). Jeff Koons has been personally involved with ICMEC for over two decades, helping the nonprofit NGO in its mission to protect children around the world from going missing, and providing resources to governments and other organizations to take the appropriate actions in the event a child does go missing.

THE 8 X JEFF KOONS’ GLOBAL JOURNEY

Following its world premiere, THE 8 X JEFF KOONS will be presented at numerous art fairs and events in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, including the 16th Istanbul Contemporary, Paris Photo, the Goodwood Festival of Speed, Art Dubai, West Bund Art & Design Fair Shanghai and Art Basel Hong Kong.

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BMW Group in America

BMW of North America, LLC has been present in the United States since 1975.  Rolls-Royce Motor Cars NA, LLC began distributing vehicles in 2003.  The BMW Group in the United States has grown to include marketing, sales, and financial service organizations for the BMW brand of motor vehicles, including motorcycles, the MINI brand, and Rolls-Royce Motor Cars; Designworks, a strategic design consultancy based in California; a technology office in Silicon Valley and various other operations throughout the country.  BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC in South Carolina is the BMW Group global center of competence for BMW X models and manufactures the X3, X4, X5, X6 and X7 Sports Activity Vehicles. The BMW Group sales organization is represented in the U.S. through networks of 350 BMW passenger car and BMW Sports Activity Vehicle centers,144 BMW motorcycle retailers, 105 MINI passenger car dealers, and 38 Rolls-Royce Motor Car dealers.  BMW (US) Holding Corp., the BMW Group’s sales headquarters for North America, is located in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey.

Journalist note: Information about BMW Group and its products in the USA is available to journalists on-line at www.bmwusanews.com, www.miniusanews.com and www.press.bmwna.com. 

About Jeff Koons

Jeff Koons is among the world’s most influential and iconoclastic living artists. Koons has become internationally renowned for his sculptures and paintings that explore meaning in our media-saturated age. Marrying rigorous conceptualism with commercial aesthetics, and spectacular displays with an unparalleled degree of technical finesse, Koons has repeatedly tested the limits of both fabrication and art history, simultaneously redefining Minimalism and Pop Art. Transcending time and geography, high and low culture, Koons’s art imparts a visual experience of the sublime.

More information about Jeff Koons can be found at www.jeffkoons.com .

About Frieze

Frieze is a media and events company that is comprised of three publications - frieze, Frieze Masters Magazine and Frieze Week; and five international art fairs, Frieze London, Frieze Los Angeles, Frieze New York Frieze Masters and Frieze Seoul; regular talks and summits, led by frieze editors; and frieze.com - the definitive resource for contemporary art and culture. Frieze Los Angeles 2022 is scheduled for February 17-20, 2022 in Beverly Hills, California.

More information about Frieze can be found at www.frieze.com .