BMW Art Cars – 20 Artists, 50 Years of Innovation.
Reunited at BMW Welt.
From July 29 through August 31 2026, BMW Welt will become the stage for an extraordinary cultural event: The BMW Art Car Collection returns to its place of origin after a global anniversary tour. For the first time ever, all 20 BMW Art Cars are brought together in one exhibition – making the collection more complete than ever before.
The idea behind the project.
What began as a single idea in 1975 has since become a global cultural phenomenon: International artists transform BMW vehicles into rolling sculptures, turning them into expressions of their time. The artists are always granted complete creative freedom – resulting in a unique fusion of art, engineering, and innovative spirit.
Five decades of art, design, and technology.
The exhibition at BMW Welt spans five decades of BMW Art Car history. Iconic works by artists such as Alexander Calder, Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, David Hockney, Jenny Holzer, Jeff Koons, and Julie Mehretu vividly demonstrate how social change, design movements, and technological milestones are reflected in the vehicles. Many of the Art Cars are not only works of art, but also genuine racing cars that have made history on legendary tracks such as Le Mans.
Special highlight: Ólafur Elíasson’s "BMW H2R Project".
A particular highlight is Ólafur Elíasson’s "BMW H2R Project": Based on a hydrogen prototype, the work has been presented publicly as a complete “frozen” installation only twice since its world premiere in 2007.
A symbolic homecoming – unique, time-limited, and exclusively at BMW Welt.
As the finale of the BMW Art Car World Tour, the exhibition brings the collection symbolically “back home” – to the place where design, brand, and the BMW Group’s cultural engagement come to life. BMW Welt provides the ideal setting: open, international, and accessible to a broad audience.
The exhibition is accompanied by a wide range of educational and experiential formats. Visitors can discover the stories behind the vehicles, get to know the artists, and immerse themselves deeply in the interplay of art, design, and technology – both analog and digital, in German and English.
This exhibition is more than a retrospective: it is an invitation to experience the BMW Art Car project as a living archive of modern art.
