The News Wheel
No Comments

Jeff Koons Art Car to Make North American Debut

Decrease Font Size Increase Font Size Text Size Print This Page
Jeff Koons Art Car

Jeff Koons Art Car

Building upon a tradition that includes famous names such as Andy Warhol, Jenny Holzer, and A.R. Penck, BMW has announced that the latest model in its Art Car collection (the Jeff Koons Art Car) will make its North American debut at the 12th annual Art Masel in Miami Beach from December 5 to 8.  Jeff Koons’ creation, painted upon a 2010 BMW M3 GT2, is the 17th entry in the prestigious BMW Art Car collection and prominently features the number “79” as a tribute to Warhol’s 1979 creation.

Koons’ M3 GT2 is intended to evoke power, motion, and bursting energy—the artist drew inspiration from images of explosions and of race cars moving quickly.  Koons’ artwork has been exhibited in the Museum of Modern Art, The National Gallery, and the Guggenheim Museum among others.

“These race cars are a lot like life, they are powerful and there is a lot of energy,” Koons is quoted as saying in the BMW Group’s interactive Art Car collection gallery.  “You can participate with it, add to it and let yourself transcend with its energy.  There is a lot of power under that hood and I want to let my ideas transcend with the car—it’s really to connect with that power.”

The BMW M3 GT2 is a beast in and of itself, with a 4.0L V8 engine that produces 500 horsepower.  The Art Car model debuted in Paris on June 2, 2010, before competing in the 24 Hours of Le Mans on June 12 of that same year.  The No. 79 car was driven by Andy Priaulx, Dirk Muller, and Dirk Werner.

The Art Basel art show in Miami Beach will feature work from more than 2,000 influential artists from the 20th and 21st centuries on loan from more than 250 leading galleries from North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia, and Africa.  In addition to the BMW M3 GT2 Art Car’s debut, the BMW i8 will make its East Coast debut at a reception at the SLS Hotel on December 5.

“It is with great pride we bring the Jeff Koons Art Car to the US and present it for the first time publically in North America,” said Ludwig Willisch, President and CEO, BMW of North America, in the automaker’s press release.  “Koons wanted to design a BMW Art Car because of the tradition set forth by Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol and other great American artists, that is why we are very proud to display both the Koons and the Warhol car at the same event.”