From Andy Warhol to Julie Mehretu: BMW Welt is showing the complete BMW Art Car Collection for the first time until 31 August 2026. One of the highlights of the free exhibition is Olafur Eliasson’s spectacular “BMW H2R Project”.
Half a century of art and automotive history comes together in Munich. Under the title “BMW Art Cars – 20 Artists, 50 Years of Innovation. Reunited at BMW Welt”, all 20 vehicles from the BMW Art Car Collection are being shown in one place for the first time. The exhibition at BMW Welt also marks the conclusion of an international tour that has travelled through more than 30 countries since March 2025. What began in 1975 as an experimental connection between motorsport and art has developed into one of the world’s best-known automotive art collections. At the time, French racing driver and art auctioneer Hervé Poulain and BMW Motorsport director Jochen Neerpasch commissioned US artist Alexander Calder to design a BMW 3.0 CSL. The vividly coloured car subsequently competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
From Calder and Warhol to Mehretu
Today, the collection includes works by Frank Stella, Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol, Robert Rauschenberg, Esther Mahlangu, David Hockney, Jenny Holzer, Jeff Koons, Cao Fei and other defining voices of modern and contemporary art. The vehicles document not only changing artistic positions, but also five decades of design and technology history — from the BMW 3.0 CSL and the BMW M1 to the current BMW M Hybrid V8.
The tour begins with the most recent works by Julie Mehretu and John Baldessari and leads chronologically back to the origins of the collection. At the centre of the finale is Calder’s first BMW Art Car from 1975. Mehretu’s BMW M Hybrid V8, presented in 2024, also points to the expansion of the project beyond the automobile: together with producer and author Mehret Mandefro, the artist founded the African Film and Media Arts Collective, which supports filmmakers and artists from Africa and the diaspora.
Olafur Eliasson’s Car Made of Ice
The most spectacular exhibit is likely to be Olafur Eliasson’s BMW H2R Project. For the work, the artist replaced the body of a hydrogen-powered BMW H2R with a reflective metal mesh, which is covered with several layers of frozen water and illuminated from within. The installation, weighing around two tonnes, has only been shown fully to the public at three other locations since its premiere in 2007.
Digital applications complement the exhibition: via the Artlas app, visitors can access background information, audio contributions and curated tours of the individual vehicles. A digital treasure hunt leads playfully through the collection.
“BMW Art Cars – 20 Artists, 50 Years of Innovation. Reunited at BMW Welt”
BMW Welt, Am Olympiapark 1, Munich
Until 31 August 2026, daily from 9 am to 6 pm
Free admission
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