BMW Art Car World Tour Debuts Warhol’s M1 in Middle East at Art Dubai 2025 with Art Talk on Future of Co-Creation
The 2025 edition of Art Dubai is set to take place at Madinat Jumeirah from 18 to 20 April, with VIP guests welcomed for preview days on 16 and 17 April. As a long-term supporter of the fair, BMW will showcase the iconic 4th BMW Art Car, painted by Andy Warhol in just 28 minutes in 1979, on the fairground. The display of Warhol’s BMW M1 at Art Dubai is part of the BMW Art Car World Tour, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the legendary BMW Art Car Collection this year.
Founded in 2007, Art Dubai has established itself as the most significant global art gathering in the Middle East, playing a pivotal role in the rapid growth of the region’s art scene and creative economy. Each year, the fair features around 120 contemporary, modern, and digital galleries from over 40 countries, showcasing a diverse range of artistic talent and positions. The gallery programme is complemented by artist commissions, an ambitious education initiative, and the most extensive talks and conference programming of any international art fair, including the renowned Global Art Forum and the annual Digital Summit. Art Dubai continues to champion galleries and artists from less-represented geographies, serving as a vital gateway for discovery, learning, and cultural exchange.
As part of the fair’s talk series, BMW will host the exclusive Art Talk “Driven by Art: Are Commissions and Co-creations the Future?” on 17th April at the Auditorium of Art Dubai. The international panalists Azu Nwagbogu (Founder and Director African Artists’ Foundation and LagosPhoto Festival), Hans Ulrich Obrist (Artistic Director SERPENTINE) and Dr Stephanie Rosenthal (Director Guggenheim Abu Dhabi Project) will explore the rise of co-creation as cultural phenomenon. Taking the iconic BMW Art Car Initiative as a point of departure, the panelists will reflect on decades of artistic collaborations they themselves initiated through their curatorial practice and institutions, moderated by Prof Dr Thomas Girst (Global Head of BMW Group Cultural Engagement).
The BMW Art Car World Tour and its stop in Dubai
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the BMW Art Car Collection – an unprecedented mix of technology, art, and design that began in 1975 when French racing driver Hervé Poulain invited artist Alexander Calder to paint a BMW 3.0 CSL. Since then, the project has brought together visionary artists such as Roy Lichtenstein, Esther Mahlangu, Jeff Koons, and Julie Mehretu, each transforming a BMW vehicle into a “rolling sculpture“. To celebrate this milestone, BMW has launched a global BMW Art Car World Tour to showcase the collection at cultural institutions, museums and platforms on all five continents.
In 1979, Andy Warhol transformed the BMW M1 into a radical canvas – a car that blurred the lines between art, performance and design. The exhibition of Warhol’s BMW Art Car at this year’s edition of Art Dubai underlines BMW’s ongoing support for the arts and its commitment to fostering artistic dialogue and cultural exchange in the region. As part of the BMW Art Car World Tour 2025, Dubai joins this historic celebration of the series on tour.
If you have any questions, please contact:
Ilya Baryshev
BMW Group Corporate and Governmental Affairs
BMW Art Car World Tour
Email: Ilya.Baryshev@bmwgroup.com