Autoblog

Frank Stella's BMW M1 art car finds a new home in the Hamptons

Noah Joseph — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 08:02:00 EST

Filed under: Classics, Coupe, BMW, Racing

Art cars are growing in popularity, with a number of automakers and their subsidiaries getting on board the trend. But BMW is where it all started. The German automaker has been at it since 1975. A good blogger's dozen of them have been commissioned for BMW over the years, and every one of them has remained in the company's private collection. Except one.

That one is the M1 Procar you see here, painted by Frank Stella in 1979. It remains the only example in the series that was created for a private individual with BMW's blessing. After years in the Guggenheim, Bonhams auctioned it off a couple of months ago at Monterey for a whopping $854,000 - well above estimate.

So who bought it? Jonathan Sobel, owner of (among other interests) BMW of Southampton, way out at the eastern end of New York's Long Island. The dealership is just settling in to its new showroom on Montauk Highway, and that's where the M1 art car will be showcased for much of the new year ahead. So if your plans include a trip out to the Hamptons, you may want to stop by for a rare glimpse. Press release after the jump.

Continue reading Frank Stella's BMW M1 art car finds a new home in the Hamptons

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BMW M1 art car by Frank Stella headed for the auction block

Noah Joseph — Fri, 13 May 2011 09:57:00 EST

Filed under: Classics, Auctions, BMW, Design/Style

BMW M1 art car by Frank Stella - Click above for high-res image gallery

In a perfect world, maybe the world's top museums would have infinite space and infinite resources to acquire and display every significant piece of artistic creation they could get their hands on. But, as we are all at times painfully aware, this is an imperfect world. Which is why the Guggenheim Museum is forced to sell this unique BMW M1 art car, in order to raise funds and make way for other works of art. And their loss could be your gain.

The original Bavarian supercar was painted by the celebrated artist Frank Stella in 1979. But while BMW has commissioned many art cars (including another M1 by Andy Warhol and a 3.0 CSL also by Stella) since the program kicked off in 1975, this is the only one that was officially sanctioned by the factory for a private client, whereas all the others remained in the German automaker's private collection. This, then, represents an extremely rare opportunity to acquire an original BMW art car.

The vehicle has been part of the museum's collection since 1999, and will be auctioned by Bonhams this coming August at the Quail Lodge in Carmel, California, where it's expected to fetch around half a million dollars, an estimate we can see it blowing right past. Us? We're just hoping that BMW itself decides to bid on the car so that this Stella M1 can rejoin its celebrated relatives in the German automaker's collection.

If you're in New York and want to catch a glimpse at this one-of-a-kind rolling work of art, it's currently on display outside Bonhams' offices in the atrium of the IBM Building at 56th and Madison.

Follow the jump for the official press release and scope out the images in the gallery below.

Continue reading BMW M1 art car by Frank Stella headed for the auction block

BMW M1 art car by Frank Stella headed for the auction block originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 13 May 2011 09:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pics Aplenty: BMW Art Cars at Los Angeles County Museum of Art

Drew Phillips — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 11:27:00 EST

Filed under: BMW, Lifestyle, Event Alert

Click above for a high-res gallery of the BMW Art Cars at the L.A. County Museum of Art

Last week, we told you that four of BMW's Art Cars were starting their North American tour in L.A., and that if you were in the area you should go check them out. Well, we took our own advice and spent a sunny SoCal Saturday afternoon at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art admiring the cars. On display are some of the most famous examples (most of the sixteen-car collection remains at BMW's museum in Munich) including Andy Warhol's 1979 BMW M1 Group 4 racer, Frank Stella's 1976 BMW 3.0 CSL, Roy Lichtenstein's 1977 BMW 320i Group 5 racer, and Robert Rauschenberg's 1986 BMW 635csi. The cars will be at the museum in Los Angeles until February 24. From there, they head to New York from March 24 to April 6 and then on to Mexico after that. For those of you who you can't see the cars in person, we've included plenty of high-res photos in the gallery below.

Gallery: BMW Art Cars at L.A. County Museum of Art

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Pics Aplenty: BMW Art Cars at Los Angeles County Museum of Art originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 15 Feb 2009 11:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BMW's Art Cars start North American tour in Los Angeles

Noah Joseph — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 12:29:00 EST

Filed under: Concept Cars, BMW, Celebrities, Event Alert

Click above to view Warhol, Stella, Lichtenstein, and Rauschenberg's BMW Art Cars in high resolution

BMW's world famous Art Cars have been an interesting project since their inception in 1975, attracting some of the world's most notable artists to leave their mark on the Bavarian automobiles. But while the collection of sixteen rolling works of art is permanently housed in BMW's museum in Munich, they've also traveled the world on various tours. The next one has already arrived in North America, with an exhibit opening today at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA).

Four of the project's most famous works, those of Andy Warhol, Frank Stella (pictured above), Roy Lichtenstein, and Robert Rauschenberg, will be on display, free of charge, in the BP Grand Entrance, from February 12-24, before they head off to New York's Grand Central Terminal from March 24-April 6, en route to three locations in Mexico thereafter.

The display is complemented by a behind-the-scenes video of the artists at work, which you can view along with the press release after the jump and the images in the gallery below, but if you're in the LA area, we'd suggest stopping by the LACMA to see these spectacular mobile works of art for yourself.

Gallery: BMW Art Cars

[Source: BMW]

Continue reading BMW's Art Cars start North American tour in Los Angeles

BMW's Art Cars start North American tour in Los Angeles originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 12 Feb 2009 12:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BMW Art Cars begin international tour

Alex Nunez — Fri, 08 Sep 2006 17:02:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Sedan, Performance, Etc., BMW

1976 BMW 3.0 CSL by Frank Stella

A group of BMW Art Cars is headed to Gallery Petronas in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia this month for the start of a museum tour that will keep the cars on the road until 2010. The Malaysian display runs from from September 14 to October 22 and includes cars by Frank Stella, Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein and Ken Done. After Malaysia, the cars will head to Singapore, the Philippines, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand -- the end of the line for that particular group.

At the same time, Art Cars by Alexander Calder, Matazao Kayama, David Hockney and Jenny Holzer will be making the rounds through Taiwan, China, Russia and Africa. From there, a group of Art Cars (BMW doesn't specify which ones) will go to Turkey and then tour the United States and head back to Europe, where France, Spain and Portugal all have events in the works so far.

We'd love to tell you what the US stops will be but we're guessing they aren't finalized (BMW doesn't give any details). They aren't going to arrive here for quite a while anyway. Regardless, we're looking forward to checking out the exhibit when it does. Significant cars by significant artists? We're there.

(Photos, press release after the jump)

[Source: BMW]

Continue reading BMW Art Cars begin international tour

BMW Art Cars begin international tour originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 08 Sep 2006 17:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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