Guide: BMW Art Car #14 - BMW 850 CSi 'David Hockney'
David Hockney
BMW’s 14th Art Car was the work of David Hockney.
Considered among the most influential artists of the 20th century, Hockney was an important contributor to the expressionist and pop art movement. He is perhaps best known for paintings of people and the environment although his work has also included lithographs, photo collages, digital art and stage design.
Born and raised in Bradford, England, Hockney attended the Royal College of Art and moved to Los Angeles in 1964 where he was inspired to make a series of vibrant, colourful swimming pool paintings in the comparatively new acrylic medium.
Since then, his work has appeared in over 400 solo exhibitions, many of which have broken all previous records for visitor numbers.
Hockney chose BMW’s flagship E31 8-series upon which to base his abstract creation.
BMW E31 850 CSi
Introduced in 1990, the 8-series was developed as an entirely new model class for BMW. Substantially more expensive than the recently discontinued E24-based 6 series, sales of the pillarless 8-series Gran Turismo were severely affected by the early 1990s recession.
The 850 CSi was produced from 1992 to fill the void left by the abandoned M8 variant. It came with a 5.6-litre 380bhp V12 engine, modified suspension, uprated brakes, redesigned bumpers and special aerodynamically formed alloy wheels. The only transmission option was a six-speed manual gearbox.
Hockney’s 850 CSi
During August of 1995, a top-of-the-range 850 CSi was sent to BMW’s design studio in Newbury Park, California, where Hockney spent two-and-a-half days painting the car with a collection of long brushes.
As part of the arrangement, BMW also supplied Hockney with his own 850 CSi complete with a special seat that enabled his dogs (a pair of Dachshunds) to see out of the window.
David Hockney painted the 850 CSi as if someone could see inside.
The major components were on view along with the driver and a Dachshund on the rear seat.
Other angles depicted the motion of air over wheels and the green landscape of the hills around Hockney’s California home.
Text copyright: Supercar Nostalgia
Photo copyright: BMW - https://www.bmw.com
