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This past Wedneday evening, the Audi Forum in New York City hosted a gala party attended by celebrities and the weary automotive press in town to cover the New York Auto Show. The beautiful people on hand included Tom Brady (celebrity status: A), Tyson Beckford (celebrity status: B), Will Arnett (celebrity status: A-), Denise Rich (celebrity status: ?) and members of the Gossip Girl cast (according to my fiance, celebrity status: better than Tom Brady). Though Autoblog was not in attendance (thus reducing the list of A list celebrities), Audi was kind enough to send us pics of the special A5 it revealed that night (and Tom Brady sitting in the R8 TDI Le Mans concept from the Geneva Motor Show). Custom-painted by New York artist Hunt Slomen, the coupe features a swath of art that flows from the car's hood and down across the driver-side door. The artwork is abstract, but we can make out white birds, which our single semester of Art History 101 tells us represents doves, which in turn represents peace. Or it could represent the jobless rate of carrier pigeons in this age of digital e-mail. The custom-painted A5 will be donated to Denise Rich's G&P Foundation for Cancer Research and auctioned after it tours the country for a bit.
[Source: Audi, Photos by wiredimages]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
ALEXDB9 @ Mar 21st 2008 2:10PM
Is it me or does that look like it was done with a spray can.
Seoultrain @ Mar 21st 2008 2:38PM
Is this Audi directed by John Woo?
DavidW @ Mar 21st 2008 3:20PM
Why trash such a handsome car? Someone needs a serious spanking!
full_of_h8 @ Mar 21st 2008 3:38PM
Murals like that should never be added to a car of any sort. Still okay for serial killer vans though...
Xcountryflyer @ Mar 21st 2008 3:39PM
Obviously, Audi could not find a more talented contemporary artist. It is ugly.
PiCASSO @ Mar 21st 2008 3:47PM
Wow... that front is SO long. Too bad Audi's A5 is still based on a FWD platform. Would of looked so much better with short RWD overhangs.
PiCASSO @ Mar 21st 2008 3:48PM
Excuse me... Would **have** looked so much better with short RWD overhangs.
pscs @ Mar 21st 2008 5:56PM
that bright orange headlight indicator is so ugly. fortunately, that only applies to US cars (a fed law) - european cars can have them clear.
Jules Mounteer @ Mar 21st 2008 6:57PM
Sweet jesus, I never thought anything could make me think an 80's Trans Am with a Fire Chicken decal on the hood looked ok..........until now.
dac @ Mar 21st 2008 7:48PM
Why does everyone on this site hate on every single modified car, fail none? There is always at least one "how dare they trash such a beautiful car" and numerous posts bemoaning the modifier's complete lack of talent. The purpose of modifying a car's appearance is to look unique and to stand out from the crowd, not to appear stock!
@alexdb9
I challenge you to what sort of artwork you could create with a spray can. I guarantee nothing even close to this.
@full_of_h8
Have a little respect for people with different tastes than you?
All that being said, I think the shape of the "flow" is a little off and I wish some of the photos actually showed the detail work.
Rick @ Mar 24th 2008 1:43PM
Sorry dac, but the art does trash this car. It doesn't go with the color of the car, it doesn't flow with the car's lines, it doesn't add anything to the car. It's a wrapped around doctor's office wallpaper border. Sorry, but as fellow artist, and Audi owner, this is pretty awful to see.