Jeff Koons Unveils BMW Art Car to Compete at Le Mans

If all goes according to plan, BMW will hope that during the 24-hour Le Mans race in June, its car will appear as nothing but a blur. But BMW’s 17th Art Car will be pretty striking when it is stationary, too. The preliminary design for it, unveiled April 6 by Jeff Koons, shows it will be covered by rays of color spraying from the front of the car on a black background. “I came upon an image of a Christmas tree wreath where you pull back and you get these streaks of light,” said Koons. “It captured the type of dynamic energy and the generosity of Christmas lights.” The car will be formally unveiled on June 1 in Paris. Since 1975, BMW has commissioned Art Cars from such artists as Alexander Calder, Andy Warhol, Frank Stella, Roy Lichtenstein and Robert Rauschenberg.