For that reason, it was something of a surprise when my +1 announced
that there was an exhibition he wanted to see. Now dear reader, please bear in
mind that I never drag him along to anything – well, not really – so this was
somewhat flabbergasting, perplexing and downright bizarre that he wanted to go, and to something I knew
nothing about. Our usual routine in all matters exhibition tend toward him
agreeing with me that we should go in order to expand his cultural horizons
(this is my fall back argument if all artistic arguments fail). Things became
clear though when he showed me exactly what exhibition it was he needed to see –
the BMW Art Car collection curated by the ICA…
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| Sandro Chia, BMW 3 Series. This reminded me strongly of Chagall and his images - are they looking at you, or are you looking at them? |
There are some exhibition you come across which are so
achingly cool that they completely miss the point that they should be about
people enjoying, experiencing or being challenged by what they see. I have, on occasion,
been somewhat baffled by exhibitions at the ICA for the simple fact that they
are trying too hard to be cutting edge, at times they cut out the people
element entirely. This one, I’m happy to report is somewhat dirtier, grittier
and much, much cooler.
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| Alexander Calder, BMW 3.0 CSL was arguable where the Art Car began - it was one of my favourites |
So, there can be little doubt that my +1 and I are somewhat
into our automobiles (understatement!) so this exhibition combines both of our
passions perfectly. There is something about a beautiful car, it really is so
very much more than a car. I once spoke to a gentleman who loves his motorbikes
and is lucky enough to have one of the best gallery spaces in London at his
disposal. He would restore the bikes, then wheel them into the gallery and
photograph them, because after all as he said they were works of art in their
own right. This exhibition proves the point – and does it in abundant style
(even if it is in the NCP Carpark on Great Eastern Street – that’s gritty
realism for you!).
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| Frank Stella, BMW 3.0 CSL, the only art car to take place in two real races - Le Mans and the Manufacturers World Championship in Dijon (1976) |
Now, a little history if the whole car/art combination hasn’t
scared you all off. The BMW ART CAR COLLECTION started when French racing
driver and auctioneer Hervé Poulain invited his friend Alexander Calder to
design a car that married artistic excellence to 'an already perfect object'.
The end result was a racing car that would ultimately compete in the Le Mans
24-hour race in 1975. And so the BMW Art Car was born... Since then, some of
the greatest names in contemporary art have added to the collection creating a
wide range of artistic interpretations. David Hockney’s 1995 Art Car paints the
inside of the car on the outside, revealing everything from internal engine
parts to a dog in the back. Rauschenberg incorporates photographic transfers of
Ingres paintings while Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein used the canvas of the
car to portray the essence of speed
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| Roy Lichtenstein, BMW 320 Group 5 - another favourite given my love of pop art... |
For me, the combination of some truly beautiful machines with some of the biggest names in art was fabulous. There were amazing paintings in a car park in the East End of London, ON CARS! This was a brilliant exhibition because it was simply about the cars and the artists who painted them. It was the perfect marriage of man and machine (in my opinion) and was interesting from all sorts of different points of view – car fanatic (+1), art lover (moi), art student (thousands…), mums with bored children (you know who you are) - and there is something for everyone. Go. Now. Immediately. Before it finishes…
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| Jeff Koons, BMW M3 GT2. An explosion of colours and geometric figures symbolizes the power of the BMW |
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