Of all the many projects I’ve worked on in recent years, one has held a special place in my heart: the BMW Art Cars. First introduced in 1975, they recently celebrated their 50th anniversary, and over the years I’ve had14 of these one-of-a-kind cars brought to my studio in Leonberg for photo shoots.
Every single BMW ART CAR is a tribute to art and, at the same time, a manifesto of mobility; hardly any other automotive theme has taken such a firm hold in the hearts of car lovers.This charisma and strength are linked to several factors. On the one hand, there is the BMW Group, which has ensured the continuity of this project for half a century. But there are also artists who, beyond their creative work, wanted to leave their mark on the world of mobility. And then there are the patrons, the sponsors, and the supporters who consistently provide the BMW Art Cars with the right setting, whether in established art scenes like museums or, with particular public appeal, at the pilgrimage sites of mobility, foremost among them Goodwood, Villa d’Èste, and Pebble Beach. I needn’t even mention many others; the BMW Art Cars fit in everywhere and enrich the event.
But now let’s move on to the next dimension—in this case, the fourth: visualization. There are thousands of images out there, and since 1975, the powerful influence of these images has radiated onto the Art Cars project. Then, starting in 2016, I began exploring some of the works by Warhol, Koons, and Lichtenstein, and something surprising happened. From all my experience, I knew that a car makes an impression through images, but it’s hard to guess at the outset which image, which perspective, or which concept will be the right one. Often, only time reveals which perspectives, which camera angles, or which visual concepts—the ones you’ve settled on—turn out to be successful in hindsight.
And that’s why, at the start of the project, the question arose: if I’m exploring the BMW Art Cars and don’t want to experiment, should I—or must I—impose restrictions on myself from the outset regarding perspective, shooting angle, visual concept, or even more parameters? Only a single perspective per vehicle, only a single image per vehicle, but one that must work equally well on its own and later as part of a group of two, three, or more vehicles. And then, if the series were to feature half or more of the artworks, they would still need to be viewed on equal terms and without any internal tension.
That made it all the harder to decide at some point: this one perspective—and now, after 14 BMW Art Cars, it all seems so obvious. Yes, but only because it somehow worked from motif to motif; by the 8th Art Car at the latest—that was the Jeff Koons one—it became clear to me that yes, this single and very risky perspective always works, even if, as was the case with the 9th Art Car, the now-staged “Compilation 9” had to have the colors of a few of the backgrounds adjusted slightly once again.
Yes, and now we’ve reached the 14th Art Car, and the tenth was the most difficult. Julie Mehretu’s Hypercar is massive, huge, ultra-flat, wide, and flat, with a very delicate paint job—that was a real challenge. And that was also meant to be the start of a more extensive photo series; after all, the artistic execution offers much more than in my “BIRDVIEW.” A truly outstanding element is the reflection in the side view—it’s not a mirror image, it’s the reflection from the opposite side, quite daring but cool; in a direct comparison, you have both vehicle views in a single image.
And then, just a few months ago, came the series’ highlight so far: the KEN DONE. First, the Art Car arrived a little later than usual; the M3 spent a whole week in the studio in Leonberg, and every day revealed more details and perspectives. A short video on Instagram then went viral with thousands of views and likes, and then came the news from BMW: Ken Done is coming to Germany—“let’s meet the artist.”
The event took place at another iconic venue, Schumann’s on Odeonsplatz in Munich. And Ken Done brought his good humor and his whole family along. We had great conversations about art, cars, passion, and family—and, of course, as always when BMW hosts an event and Prof. Dr. Thomas Girst brings together important guests, there was an autograph session and book signing.
Most guests are very knowledgeable about art and eager to learn; they have questions prepared well in advance, and visual materials such as books, posters, and catalogs featuring Art Car images—some of which still lack the signature of one artist or another.
I love bringing my GREETINGCARDS to such gatherings—larger postcards on the finest Hahnemühle design paper, popular with collectors. I’m giving away 10 sets to the first 10 people who respond to this post, either simply with your name and the keyword “BMW ART CARS GREETINGCARDS” or with questions, comments, and requests. Just reach out at rs@staudstudios.com
Link to more information on the RS landing page: renestaud.com/artworks-bmw-art-car
Link to the BMW ART CAR PHOTOBOOK
Link to the BMW ART CAR CALENDAR
Link to the digital prints: renestaudgallery.com/collections/art-prints/bmw-art-cars
And here’s my tip on where you can see all the Art Cars at the BMW headquarter in Munich from July 29- August 31, 2026:
Report by René Staud
Photo Credit: BMW Group
