Art, innovation, design, energy and power
The world-renowned BMW Art Cars will be in Stavanger for ONS 2012. 
Coming to Stavanger – the BMW 320i designed by Roy Lichtenstein in 1977
ONS has achieved the feat of getting seven of the BMW Art Cars collection to Stavanger in connection with ONS 2012. This is a joint project with the Stavanger Art Museum, BMW Norge and Bavaria. There are 17 cars in the collection altogether.
Car as canvas
BMW Art Cars is a major art project launched in 1975 by the French art collector and racing driver Hervé Poulain, who challenged some of the world’s most famous artists to use the car as their canvas. Most of the cars have been used in the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans race.
The first was the American Alexander Calder who decorated a BMW 3.0 CSL.
Several of the cars have been exhibited at the world’s most prestigious galleries such as the Tate Modern in London, the Pompidou in Paris and the Guggenheim in New York. And now they will be on show at the Stavanger Art Museum.
ONS in good company
“Most cars from the collection will be showcased this year in London for the Olympic Games, and six others in Helsinki, Finland, in connection with the city achieving status as World Design Capital 2012 – so ONS is in good company”, says ONS Festival Manager Aase Tendenes.
“We are busy organising the best possible project – making it accessible to everyone”, says Tendenes.
This unusual collection of "rolling masterpieces" is currently made up of 17 vehicles and is always being expanded.
“All the artists on show are well-known. I’m most looking forward to seeing the car painted by Roy Lichtenstein”, says Tendenes. “He and Andy Warhol were among the pioneers of pop art”, she says.
The Art Cars exhibited at ONS 2012:
- 1977 Roy Lichtenstein - BMW 320i
- 1986 R. Rauschenberg - BMW 635CSI
- 1990 Matazo Kayama - BMW 535i
- 1991 Esther Mahlangu - BMW 525i
- 1991 A.R. Penck - BMW Z1
- 1995 David Hockney - BMW 850CSI
- 2010 Jeff Koons - BMW M3 GT2
Confronting paradoxes
BMW Art Cars harmonise well with the ONS keynote theme for 2012 – Confronting Energy Paradoxes.
“Few industries today have to confront as many major paradoxes as the energy sector”, says Leif Johan Sevland, President and CEO of the ONS Foundation. “Everyone consumes energy, including ONS and BMW, but we also have to live with C02 emissions targets”, he says.
“ONS 2012 will be addressing paradoxes such as these. Paradoxes represent a challenge, but at ONS we choose to regard them as sources of inspiration. The BMW Art Cars are a brilliant and powerful source of inspiration for us”, says Sevland.
Art and technology
The history of the car has been an ongoing clash between art and technology – but the two cultures have always found common ground.
“As well as enjoying the Art Cars as great works of art, we hope our visitors will be inspired by the collaborative process between art and technology which they represent”, says Sevland.
“This project introduces us to people with daring and different ideas. While some may claim that the result is just art, I think the lessons we learn by crossing cultural boundaries to achieve our goals are vital to the energy industry.”
More about the BMW Art Cars: http://en.bmw-art-cars.de/
