Small Wonders In Colorful Packaging

The concept of BMW automobiles as mobile canvases of symbolism and expression raced around the track beginning in 1975, creating stunning visuals envisioned by many esteemed artists. Now, auto artworks by Sandro Chia, Michael Jagamara Nelson, A.R. Penck, and Frank Stella are available as BMW Art Car Miniatures, part of a historical collection that examines connections between auto technology and cultural trends during the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.

The BMW Art Car collection features 15 miniatures, with timed releases through 2005. Chia, Penck, Nelson and Stella's Art Car Miniatures are now available at BMW dealers worldwide, at the Website www.bmw-online.com, or by calling 888-269-6654.
The first BMW Art Car was created in 1975 by American artist Alexander Calder for his friend Herve Poulain, auctioneer and driver in the 24-hour race at Le Mans. More than 25 years later, the Art Car phenomenon is still lending creativity and culture to the auto - a symbol of freedom and functionality - as detailed by the following artists:

Sandro Chia
An Italian artist and self-proclaimed "Neo-expressionist," Sandro Chia creates figurative paintings that reflect tracings from Carra, de Chirico, Picasso and even Mantegna and Giorgione. Chia's pictorial language is in light-hearted contrast of the tough milieu of the big city, to which he repeatedly feels himself drawn: figures of mythical appearance parade themselves in a timeless, bucolic Arcadian setting. He is regarded as one of the most significant artists in the Italian Transavanguardia, a rediscovery of figural art, and traditional tools, techniques, and colors in painting.

The BMW racing car, the M3 GTR shown in the photo at the top of the page, painted by Italian artist Sandro Chia in 1992, is itself a work of art in miniature. The faces and graffiti elements that are typical of Chia are portrayed brilliantly on the smaller model, and their power of expression is brought to the fore.

Chia achieved prominence for his works during the 1970s with significant one-man exhibitions in Rome, Turin and Cologne. A scholarship allowed him to work for a year in Moenchengladbach, Germany. By 1982 Chia's works were being shown by the Guggenheim Museum in New York, at the "documenta 7" in Kassel and at the "Zeitgeist" exhibition in Berlin. A major exhibition held in the Berlin National Gallery during 1992 enabled art lovers to see Chia's various new works for the first time.