BMW Art Car Collection [Books]

this one goes out to all car enthusiasts and art buffs alike. for 40 years, BMW has been inviting renowned artists to artistically spruce up a variety of BMW cars, resulting in what is known today as the BMW Art Cars. the history of BMW Art Car dates back to 1975 when Alexander Calder was approached by French race car driver Hervé Poulain, whom himself was an art aficionado, to design an automobile and the result was the BMW 3.0 CSL which competed in the 23 Hours of Le Mans, and the rest, as they say, is history. history it is and this vibrant history is culminated in this hardcover book, BMW Art Car Collection (ISBN 978-3775733458) published by Hatje Cantz.

the book offers 200 pages worth of insight into this new breed of rolling art form that brings together fine art and innovative automobile technology. it is a unique marriage that saw celebrated artists across different discipline like Alexander Calder (1975), Frank Stella (1976), Roy Lichtenstein (1977), Andy Warhol (1979), Ernst Fuchs (1982), Robert Rauschenberg (1986) and more, lending their artistic talent to the otherwise regular machines. well, not that Beemers are now awesome; it is nice to see them in a different light. all told, 17 artists were featured, including Jeff Koons’ work on the BMW M3 GTS unveiled back in 2010. Koons also happens to be the dude responsible for the design of the book’s cover. also included in the book are articles by international experts and art historians, as well as thoughts from the pioneers of BMW Art Car, Hervé Poulain and then BMW Motorsport Director, Jochen Neerpasch.

each book will come with a Schmid+Widmaier designed slip case which, in BMW’s own words, “provides the personal ‘parking space’ for the book.” the BMW Art Car Collection would make the perfect coffee table book for art and motoring enthusiasts. you can pre-order yours from Amazon now for $34.77.