Lichtenstein BMW car goes on show
Whaam artist’s racer on display as Centre Pompidou exhibition set to open in evenings
ARTIST Roy Lichtenstein’s hand decorated BMW 320i saloon racing car is going on display in the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the very same venue where it was presented by the artist 36 years ago.
It is part of a retrospective of the New York artist who produced his iconic "Whaam!" and "Drowning Girl" in the same year that Georges Pompidou became Prime Minister, in 1962.
The Lichtenstein exhibition has proved so popular it is to be opened in the evenings from September 18 to cope with demand. The exhibition runs until November 4.
Produced in 1977, the BMW Art Car was part of a bid by Lichtenstein to explore the theme of movement. In his distinctive style, characterised by bright colours and dot patterns evoking newspaper comics, he gave the car a dynamic appearance, as if it were racing at full speed. The painted BMW 320i IMSA 2L finished in 9th place at the Le Mans 24 Hours race in 1977.
The Art Cars initiative was launched in 1975 by BMW in collaboration with the French former racing pilot Hervé Poulain, who is now vice president of the French art auction house Artcurial. A number of artists have participated over the years. Most recently, in 2010, Jeff Koons provided a custom exterior finish for a BMW M3 GT2 which was entered in the famous Le Mans race in the same year.
For information on the exhibition, check www.centrepompidou.fr
