3 Series Two anniversaries, one special exhibition: 50 Years of BMW Art Cars and the BMW 3 Series at the BMW Museum.

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Munich. The BMW Museum in Munich is using a special exhibition taking place as part of the international BMW Art Car World Tour to celebrate the 50-year anniversary of both the legendary BMW Art Car Collection and the iconic BMW 3 Series. The exhibition will open its doors to visitors from 17 June, hot on the heels of the Le Mans 24 Hours race weekend. Fittingly, it was at Le Mans in 1975 that the first BMW Art Car – created by Alexander Calder – staged its glittering premiere. The exhibition, which runs until 1 February 2026, will see the BMW Museum present a trio of Art Cars based on the BMW 3 Series: Sandro Chia’s BMW M3 GTR and the BMW M3 (Group A) cars designed by Michael Jagamara Nelson and Ken Done respectively.

The exhibition at the BMW Museum – the home of the BMW Art Cars when they are not on display at destinations around the globe – is one of the attractions of the ongoing BMW Art Car World Tour, the largest exhibition project yet in the 50-year history of the collection. The Tour has so far visited 12 markets on five continents, and will continue to showcase the legendary BMW Art Cars across numerous art and car platforms, and at institutes worldwide, over the coming year. The BMW Museum will use the special exhibition to provide insights into the artistic brilliance and history of the BMW Art Car Collection, as well as inviting visitors to explore the technical excellence of the 3 Series and the innovative power of the BMW brand.

50 years of driving pleasure: the BMW 3 Series
Since it first hit the roads in 1975, the BMW 3 Series has served as a byword for driving pleasure and a cornerstone for the success of BMW. Across five decades, it has reimagined the concept of the sports sedan, set new standards for performance and put smiles on the faces of millions of drivers around the world. From the groundbreaking first generation to today’s innovative models, the 3 Series has been an enduring, style-defining feature of the automotive landscape.

50 years of “rolling sculptures”: the BMW Art Car Collection
Since 1975, renowned artists from countries the world over have gone to work creating BMW Art Cars. The idea was the brainchild of French racing driver and art lover Hervé Poulain, who teamed up with BMW’s then Head of Motorsport Jochen Neerpasch to invite friend and artist Alexander Calder to paint a design onto a car. The result was a BMW 3.0 CSL that competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1975, becoming a darling of the crowd – and marking the birth of the BMW Art Car Collection. Famous names including Frank Stella, Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol, Robert Rauschenberg, Esther Mahlangu, David Hockney, Jenny Holzer and Ólafur Elíasson have since added further BMW Art Cars bearing their own individual style to the collection. More recently, the American John Baldessari and Chinese multimedia artist Cao Fei used the BMW M6 GTLM and BMW M6 GT3 respectively as a canvas for their takes on the BMW Art Car concept in 2016 and 2017. They therefore joined Jeff Koons and Julie Mehretu in applying their creativity to dynamic racing cars in the last 15 years.

BMW Art Cars at the BMW Museum from 17 June
BMW M3 Group A by Ken Done (1989):
Australian artist Ken Done created a vibrant and richly coloured design that captures the energy and dynamism of motor racing. His work represents a homage to the speed and power of the BMW M3.

“It was a great honour to be asked to be part of this fabulous Art Car collection. I wanted to express the joy of speed and the brilliance of the machine itself.” Ken Done

BMW M3 Group A by Michael Jagamara Nelson (1989):
Michael Jagamara Nelson, also from Australia, brought the traditions of Aboriginal art to the bodywork of the BMW M3. His complex motifs using dot painting techniques tell Dreaming stories that are deeply rooted in the culture of his people.

“A car is a landscape as it would be seen from a plane – I have included water, the kangaroo and the opossum.” Michael Jagamara Nelson

BMW M3 GTR by Sandro Chia (1992):
Italian artist Sandro Chia transformed a BMW M3 GTR into a painting on wheels that depicts human figures and emotions in vivid colours. His work symbolises the connection between man and machine, and invites us to reflect on the role of the car in modern society.

“I have created both a picture and a world. Everything that is looked at closely turns into a face. A face is a focus, a focus of life and the world.” Sandro Chia

The 10th BMW Art Car, a BMW 730i designed by Spanish artist César Manrique in 1990, is also on show at the BMW Museum as part of its permanent exhibition.


BMW Group PressClub Global

 

[Matski]

I might try and get into this with BMW. The Sandro Chia car has only now begun being referred to as a GTR. I believe it's not, I believe, it's a prototype for BMW's abandoned Class One DTM car, it may be an M3 of sorts, but it was mandated to be <2.5 Litre at the time by DTM, and so used a version of the S14, rather than any of the 3 plus litre engines the M3 did.

The body work isn't the GTR's, if it was a GTR, why didn't BMW ever refer to it as a GTR until now. The Class One prototype never came to fruition, BMW left Class One DTM and pursued Class Two Super Touring instead, but from what was seen of the Class One prototype, the bodywork mostly matches the Chia car - particularly at the front.

The GTR

The Class One Prototype

The Sandro Chia Car

BMW's official line on it the last time I saw the Chia car in the flesh:

It's referred to as a Touring Car, BMW never refer to the E36 M3 GT as a touring car, it's always a GT.