As the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles opens its doors to the public after undergoing massive renovations, BMW will exhibit three Art Cars throughout 2016 in the Armand Hammer Foundation Gallery.
“The BMW Art Car collection contains a diverse array of unique artistic approaches from the last 40 years,” said Thomas Girst, Head of Cultural Engagement at the BMW Group.“These ‘rolling sculptures’ represent the core of BMW Group’s global cultural initiatives, and we are pleased to showcase some of these impressive works in our new gallery space at the Petersen Automotive Museum.”
The BMW 3.0 CSL painted by Alexander Calder in 1975, the first in the now iconic series of BMW Art Cars, and the BMW 850i CSi painted by Los Angeles local David Hockney in 1995 will be on display at the museum’s opening. Alongside his BMW Art Car, the gallery will also exhibit the BMW Art Car maquette done by David Hockney. A maquette is a scale model that BMW provides the artists so they can work on their project prior to creating the full scale Art Car. These maquettes are essentially three dimensional rough sketches to help the artist understand how their designs and vision would translate onto the body of the automobile. Later in 2016, the BMW Art Car painted by Matazo Kayama in 1990 will be displayed.
Also on display will be a Z4 Roadster used by artist Robin Rhode in 2009 to create BMW’s marketing epithet, “An Expression of Joy”. In 2009, to help launch the second generation BMW Z4 Roadster, Rhode utilized the car’s tires to apply paint to a large canvass, as he directed a driver where to steer the vehicle.
The Petersen Automotive Museum Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)(3) charity. The Museum is located at 6060 Wilshire Boulevard (at Fairfax) in Los Angeles, California, 90036. Admission prices are $15 for general admission adults, $12 for seniors and students with ID, $7 for children ages 3 to 12. Active military with ID, personal care attendants and children under three are admitted free. Museum hours are 10am to 6pm. For general information, call 323/930-CARS or visit Petersen.org.
[Source: BMW N.A.]
