Bmw Art Car Calder
By the Editorial Staff
March 24, 2026
The BMW with which Alexander Calder initiated the Art Car series in 1975 was one of the last works he produced before his death. It was also to be one of the most interesting. The BMW Art Car Project was introduced by the French racecar driver and auctioneer Hervé Poulain, who wanted to invite an artist to create a canvas on an automobile.
In 1975, Poulain commissioned American artist and friend Alexander Calder to paint the first BMW Art Car. This first example would be a BMW 3.0 CSL which Poulain himself would race in the 1975 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race. The Calder Foundation is dedicated to collecting, exhibiting, preserving, and interpreting the art and archives of Alexander Calder.
BMW fans have until January 26 to admire the 3.0 CSL Art Car penned by Alexander Calder in the Hôtel de la Marine's courtyard. This edition of Le Mans Classic marks a historic occasion with the return of the first BMW Art Car by Alexander Calder, in its Artist's Proof version, initiated by the Calder Foundation and BMW Group Classic, to the track where it all began 50 years ago. Calder's vibrant hues and bold, dynamic forms wrapped around the sleek lines of the car, creating a striking fusion of art and automobile.
The world's first BMW Art Car was born. The Art of Speed: Since Alexander Calder first transformed a BMW 3.0 CSL Le Mans racer into a fast-paced canvas in 1975, BMW's Art Cars have embodied the perfect intersection of automotive engineering and artistic expression. For the 50th anniversary we look back at all 20 BMW Art Cars.
Avant d'être l'une des vedettes de la 50e édition du salon Rétromobile la semaine prochaine, la BMW 3.0 CSL décorée par Calder fait escale place de Concorde, à Paris. An in-depth historical and technical appraisal of BMW's first Art Car: the E9 3.5 CSL painted by Alexander Calder in 1975. The BMW Art Car project began in 1975 when French artist Alexander Calder transformed a BMW 3.0 CSL into a moving canvas.
This innovative concept was born out of a desire to merge the worlds of art and automotive engineering, creating a unique platform for artistic expression.
