Alexander Calder painted the very first BMW Art Car in 1975. A BMW 3.0 CSL that would later enter the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the colors and visuals on the CSL were so impacting that the one-off later led to a series of iconic works of art.
To date, a total of 18 BMW Art Cars have been created, each providing a giant canvas and limitless artistic freedom for notable artists of our time to leave their mark. Notable BMW Art Cars include the Roy Lichtenstein BMW 320i Turbo, Andy Warhol's BMW M1 racing car, Rober Rauscheberg's BMW 635 CSi, and the 2010 M3 GT2 by Jeff Koons.
Now, nearly four decades since the first BMW Art Car, the Institute of Contemporary Arts will gather a selection of BMW Art Cars together for the London 2012 Festival.
If you happen to find yourself in London for the next two weeks, the special exhibit, known as ART DRIVE!, will bring the Art Cars together at the NCP Car Park on Great Eastern Street in Shoreditch.
ART DRIVE! will span from Saturday, July 21 to Saturday August 4. Best of all, the exhibit is free admission!
For the rest of us that won't be at London in the next two weeks, enjoy a select gallery of BMW Art Cars below as well as this fascinating video of iconic pop artist Andy Warhol painting the Group 4 1979 BMW M1:
