The story of the BMW Art Car started 36 years ago. The world-renowned collection is comprised of 17 BMW cars in total from artists all around the world. The last installments was completed in 2010 to celebrate the 35^th anniversary of the BMW Art Car series.

Recently,  BMW decided to put the entire series on display for the first time ever at the BMW museum in Munich, Germany. And, in recognizing that not everyone who would like to view the historic show before its September close will be able to do so, the Bavarian automaker has also created a virtual tour for people all over the world to take, for free.

Explaining BMW's decision to offer art and car enthusiasts worldwide, the opportunity to view the exhibition from the convenience of their home or while sipping a cappuccino at their favorite cafe, Bill McAndrews, head of BMW Group Corporate Strategy and Communications says, " After four decades and a total of 17 BMW Art Cars, they can now all be admired by everyone."¹

McAndrews continues, "The interactive website pays homage to the collection, unique in the history of automobile and the arts. Whilst the originals are often exhibited individually at the BMW Museum in Munich or at significant cultural institutions throughout the world, people are now able to discover for the BMW Art Cars in their entirety. A comprehensive online tour is now available anywhere, anytime."²

Since 1985, BMW has commissioned artists from nine different countries and all five continents to help them with their Art Car initiative. Among the talent who have helped to create these truly mobile works of art are:

-           Alexander Calder - Creator of the mobile

-          Olafur Eliasson - Famous large-scale installation artist

-           David Hockney - Key player in the Pop art movement

-           Jenney Holzer - Renowned large-scale public display artist

-           Roy Lichtenstein - Prominent American Pop artist

-          A.R. Penck - World-acclaimed artist, best known for his pictographic, neo-primitivist imagery of the human form and other totemic forms

-          Frank Stella - Famed Minimalist and Post-Painterly Abstraction artist

-          Andy Warhol - Pop Art pioneer

-          Jeff Koons - Famous banal-object-inspired sculptor commissioned for the ^th-anniversary BMW Art Car, in 2010

To view the BMW Art Car exhibit now, visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xi_k1T7Ymbk. Bert Smith BMW located at 3800 34th Street North, Saint Petersburg, FL, would like to know what you think.

Source: ^1,2http://www.autoevolution.com/news/bmw-art-car-collection-virtual-video-tour-launched-37026.html