Art in Motion: BMW Group brings the 10th BMW Art Car by César Manrique to India

GURGAON, India - Jan. 28, 2016 - PRLog -- New Delhi. BMW Group India presented the 10^th BMW Art Car created by internationally celebrated artist César Manrique at the India Art Fair 2016. César Manrique created the 10^th Art Car for BMW in 1990 with the BMW 730i.

The BMW Art Cars or the ‘Rolling Sculptures’ are original masterpieces of art that demonstrate an individual synthesis of artistic expression and automobile design. Since 1975, seventeen prominent artists from across the world have created Art Cars on the basis of contemporary BMW automobiles of their times, all offering a wide range of artistic interpretations.

#10 BMW Art Car César Manrique 1990 BMW 730i was exclusively unveiled at India Art Fair by Mr. Philipp von Sahr, President – BMW Group India, Dr. Thomas Girst, Head Cultural Engagement – BMW Group and Ms. Neha Kripal, Founding Director – India Art Fair. The BMW Art Car will be exhibited from 28-31 January 2016 at India Art Fair in New Delhi.

Mr. Philipp von Sahr, President, BMW Group India said, “Since its inception, BMW India has been committed to the world of art and culture in the country. The BMW Art Cars are an indispensable component and a core platform of our cultural engagement. They are unique creations combining automobiles, technology, design and art. The artistic expressions of the ‘Rolling Sculptors’ symbolize the pioneering spirit of BMW Group that challenges the imagination of creative minds across the world. We are very excited to present the 10^th BMW Art Car by César Manrique here amidst the best Indian art installations at the India Art Fair.”

#10 BMW Art Car César Manrique 1990 BMW 730i

For the BMW Art Car project, Manrique took it upon himself to unite technology and art which in his opinion are two different worlds. “I wanted to give the car a shape that would create the impression that it was gliding effortlessly through the space. I tried to use an aesthetic concept to express in a single object the idea of speed and aerodynamics,” he explained. Dynamic forms, as well as glowing red, green, blue and violet tones, convey the impression of supple movement. The idea was one of a bird in flight. Neutral elements such as insects of the sea repeatedly served as the inspiration for his works.

From the point of view of both an architect and an artist, César Manrique had a clear opinion of the automobile: an indispensable feature of daily life, it shapes the picture of our towns and greatly influences the way we see the world around us. When designing the Art Car, Manrique was greatly inspired by the differing concepts of movement. The artist said he had tried “to unite the notions of speed and aerodynamics with the concept of aesthetic appeal in one and the same object.” Glowing colors and broad, sweeping strokes which blend into the outlines of the automobile are suggestive of effortless gliding and lithe movement. Manrique, the advocate of harmony between man and nature and between culture and nature, remains fully aware that along with the achievement of mobility, beginning with the invention of the wheel, human civilisation took a “quantum leap” forward.

Manrique’s BMW 730i was intended solely as an exhibit and was never driven on the road or in a race. The technical data of Manrique’s BMW 730i: six-cylinder inline engine with over-head camshaft, displacement 2986 cm3, power output 188 bhp. Top Speed: 222 km/hr.

César Manrique

Manrique is recognized as a universal talent – architect, sculptor, designer, object artist and painter. It took over forty years from 1919, when Manrique was born on the island of Lanzarote in the Canaries, for the first public exhibition of his work to appear. He achieved his breakthrough at the Biennale in Venice in 1960. Pictures painted by the ardent ecologist and landscape designer dealt mainly with the theme ‘Geology and Vulcanism’. In both bright and subdued colours, he rendered light and lava and their interplay visible. This breakthrough was soon followed by success in the USA, including exhibitions in New York where the artist lived for three years from 1965 onwards. In 1978, he was awarded the Grand Cross for Distinguished Service by the King of Spain. In 1986, his work was placed alongside that of Goya and Velazquez representing his country at the Spanish exhibition in the Seibu Museum in Tokyo. Over 40,000 visitors from all over the world came to see his works at the Hybernu Palace in Prague in 1990. Manrique died in 1992 at the age of 72.

About BMW’s Cultural Commitment

Since its inception, BMW Group India has participated in leading cultural engagements across the country. In 2007, two BMW Art Cars embellished by world renowned artists Andy Warhol (BMW M1, 1979) and Roy Lichtenstein (BMW 320i, 1977) were presented at the Jehangir Art Gallery in Mumbai. In 2012-13 and 2014-15, BMW partnered with Kochi-Muziris Biennale, the contemporary art fair, which brings international artists to India and creates a global platform for Indian artists. In 2012-13, the innovative BMW Guggenheim Lab came to India. Based at Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum and conducted at six different sites in Mumbai, the lab organised six weeks of free program with diverse audience and communities addressing the challenges and conditions of the urban city.