The BMW Art Car Collection marks its 50th anniversary with a worldwide tour, showcasing its iconic rolling sculptures across five continents. Since 1975, the project has brought together art and automotive design, featuring works by 20 renowned artists, from Alexander Calder and Andy Warhol to Jenny Holzer and Julie Mehretu.
The tour kicks off in Europe and Asia, with highlights including a special exhibition in Vienna (March 20th–22nd) featuring Art Cars by Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Rauschenberg, David Hockney, and Jeff Koons. Meanwhile, Mehretu’s BMW M Hybrid V8—the latest addition to the collection—will debut at Art Basel Hong Kong (March 28th–30th) before continuing to other global destinations.
Over the decades, each Art Car has reflected a unique artistic vision. Warhol’s 1979 design transformed a BMW M1 into a blur of expressive brushstrokes, capturing the speed and dynamism of racing. Cao Fei’s 2017 creation used augmented reality to project digital light trails around a sleek BMW M6 GT3, exploring the intersection of technology and tradition. Mehretu’s 2024 Art Car reimagines the racing vehicle as a layered, abstract composition, inspired by motion and the visual language of contemporary cities.
Beyond exhibitions, BMW is celebrating the anniversary with new collaborations, including a reissued Art Car catalogue and a collectible miniature of Mehretu’s design. “The whole BMW Art Car project is about invention, about imagination, about pushing the limits of what is possible,” says Mehretu.
The tour, running through 2026, will bring these iconic cars to museums, art fairs, and automotive events worldwide, continuing BMW’s legacy of uniting art, design, and performance. As we eagerly anticipate this major event, we invite you to read our conversation in the FW24 issue—order your copy today
BMW Art Car World Tour 2025/26. BMW Art Car Collection in front of BMW Headquarters, Munich
Photography by ENES KUCEVIC, courtesy of BMW AG
