TEFAF to exhibit BMW Art Car of Jeff Koons
February 10, 2011 - Official
Press Release
.TEFAF Maastricht to exhibit Art Car Jeff Koons for first time in the Netherlands
. BMW Group Netherlands and TEFAF sign partnership for 3 years
. BMW sponsers more than 100 events worldwide
. BMW commited to culture for more than 40 years
Maastricht/Rijswijk.TEFAF Maastricht the most prestigious art and antique fair in the world,
will exhibit the fastest piece of art ever - the BMW Art Car of JeffKoons for the first time in the
Netherlands. This high-speed rolling work of art, a unique expression of art, power, movement
and light - will be exhibited from 18 until 27 March as one of the show pieces of the art fair.
With this presentation BMW Group Netherlands and TEFAF Maastricht show their special
commitment to each other. Both parties have closed a partnership for the upcoming three
years.
BMW Art Car by jeff Koons
jeff Koons re-known for work of arts such as Ballon Dog and Hanging Heart is following in
the footsteps of illustrious predecessors, such as Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein. The
world-famous American artist has used a BMW M3 GT2 as a canvas, completely in the Art Car
tradition of BMW. Like all top artists who have proceeded him, Koons-known for his passion for
fast cars-enjoyed complete creative freedom designing the BMW M3 GT2. Inspired by the
history of race cars, he collected images and took place behind the wheel a BMW M3.
Subsequently, he painted shiny and glossy saturated colors on a black background in order to
decorate the car in sharp contrast with its silver interior. The result is a work of art with vibrant
colors showing speed, power, movement and the raw force of the engine below. This gives the
car a dynamic appearance even when it's standing still. Koons expresses the essence of the
BMW brand and gives an exciting twist to the way the car shows dynamics and emotion. The
artist wanted to show the 'ascthetics of winning' "I tried to create a design that captured the
strong energies and brutal power of racing" Koons wanted his car to be masculine,
intimidating and competitive.
Special BMW Tradition
Since1975, artists from throughout the world have turned BMW automobiles into art. The
French auctioneer Herve Poulain is the 'godfather' of the BMW Art Cars who blended his
passions for race and art and created the BMW Art Cars. In the spirit of Alexander Calder,
other artists, such as Frank Stella, Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol and Robert Rauschenburg
transformed a BMW automobile into a rolling peace of art. The BMW M3 GT2 by Koons is the
17th BMW Art Car in this illustrious serie.
Inspired by the Art Car of Andy Warhol
The unique thing of the Art Cars is not only the way they are created, but also how the cars are
introduced to the public. Aftetr Jeff Koons unveiled the BMW M3 GT2 in the Center Pompidou
in Paris in june 2010 the car raced at the 24 Hours of LeMans in France the start number
(79) of the work of art with a 500 PK strong, 4.0 litre V8 under the bonnet is a tribute to the Art
Car of Andy Warhol, made in 1979. Koons' piece of art was exhibited in the BMW Museum in the
Munchin previously, before coming to the Netherlands for the first time.
Important milestone
With this special initiative TEFAF Maastricht and BMW Group Netherlands give momentum to
their co-operation in the field of art and culture. This co-operation takes shape within the
framework of a partnership in which BMW Group Netherland, sponser of the international arts
fair, commits itself for three years to TEFAF Maastricht. Jan-Christian Koenders, president of
BMW Group Nederland cosiders the partner ship with TEFAF Maastricht as an important
milestone. "The year 2011 represents 40 years of sustainable cultural commitment for BMW Group.
Our company is currently engaged in hundreds of cultural projects worldwide. This year, We
are also proud to announce a long-term partnership with TEFAF. This is a match truly made in
heaven. TEFAF is one of the world's leading art fairs, with displays offering a panolopy of
some of the greatest works ever created.As the leading premium company BMW Group is
thrilled that we are able to contribute to some of the best automobiles ever created"
Ben Jansenns, President of The Executive Board of TEFAF Maastricht, is also very pleased
about the partnership with BMW: "We are very happy with BMW as official car of TEFAF
Maastricht TEFAF and BMW are a perfect combination striving for top quality, innovation and
elegance The fair represent a broad range of art forms from all continents. BMW supports
many innitiatives in the world of art and culture, such as the BMW Art Cars."WE are very excited
that the Art Car of Jeff Koons will be exhibited at TEFAF Maastricht".
BMW's cultural engagement
For more than 40 years BMW the cultural program is one of the pillars of its corporate
communication. This cultural commitment focuses on contempory and modern art. as well
classic music, jazz architecture and design. BMW Group sponsors more than 100 cultural
events worldwide. In the last six years, BMW Goup has been proclaimed most sustainable
automobile company by the Dow Jones Sustainability Index. In 1972 three large-scale
paintings were completed by the artist Gerhard Richter specifically for the new foyer of the
Group's Munich headquarters. Afterwards artists like Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Olafur
Eliasson, Thomas Demand and Jeff Koons have co-operated with BMW. Moreover prominent
architects like Karl Scwanzer, Zaha Adid and Coop Himmelb(l)au were commisioned by
BMW Group to design its head offices and factories. BMW Group Guarantees absolute
creative freedom in all cultural activities it is involved in - as this is just as essential for ground-
breaking artistic work as it is for major innovations in a successful business.
For more information about BMW's commitment to culture:www.bmwgroup.com/culture
- BMW Group.com
Jeff Koon's BMW Art Car
(All pictures shown here are the intellectual property
of BMW , www.bmw.com )
