Artcars, the vehicle as an artistic medium
Vehicle customisation, an artistic movement adopted by street art
The rise of the car and the motorcycle in almost all strata of the population has allowed them to rise well above a mere means of locomotion. Symbols of freedom like the Harley-Davidson for some, generational denominators like the Ford Model T, Renault 4L or Beetle for others, of the Dolorean at the Batmobile, these vehicles are mythologised and even integrate a central place in the register pop culture.
What is generally admired in these race cars, besides their propensity for speed, it's their build, their shape, their style which distinguish them from classic models. Having an original vehicle means standing out from the crowd and to reflect their personality and values through their motorised vehicle. From this desire for reappropriation to differentiate itself from the initial, mass-produced model, was born the Tuning, rendered all the more famous by the American show « Pimp my Ride »broadcast on MTV. With the desire to reshape the vehicle to make it unique, an artistic current emerged: transform these modes of transport into genuine works of art.
The practice of commissioning an artist to customise a vehicle, to understand to use it as an artistic medium, is far from being new. However, it is street artists today who have given new impetus to this trend.
From stars to unique cars
Perhaps one of the first who wished to shape his vehicle according to his aspirations was the American writer and pioneer of the psychedelic counter-culture Ken Kesey. In the early sixties, seeking an authentic experience inspired by beat culture, he wanted, along with his band of wanderers, the Merry Pranksters, to freely travel the United States in the style of the novel On the road of Jack Kerouac. After acquiring A 1939 International Harvester school bus, he asks his flock, among whom is the artist Roy Seburn, of to customise and repaint with mandala-type patterns and iridescent colours the vehicle that he christens Further. Dressed extravagantly, the tour bus scandalises conservative America on its route.
On the other side of the Atlantic, John Lennon, famous singer of The Beatles, request in 1967 to the artist Steve Weaver to repaint it Black Rolls-Royce Phantom V in a psychedelic work of art. This results in a bright yellow bodywork upon which motifs reminiscent of traditional gypsy caravans are elaborated. After his death, in June 1985, the museum Cooper-Hewitt She puts it up for auction. Jim Pattison, Canadian billionaire, acquires it for the modest sum of 230 000 $ before offering it to Royal British Columbia Museum. This sixties icon is now estimated to be worth £5.2 million.
At the same time, characterised by young people's refusal to follow conventions, it is another singing star who stands out for their mode of transport.. Janis Joplin had bought in 1968 a 1961 Porsche 356 C convertible, white on occasion. In order to transform it into a celestial work, in the image of her music, she commissions the artist Dave Richards, a friend of her brother's, to restyle it with colourful natural motifs like butterflies, combined with abstract shapes, in warm tones where orange dominates. After the singer's tragic death, her Porsche was put up for auction and acquired for 1.76 million dollars. She now sits proudly within the prestigious Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Museum from Cleveland.
Art Cars as objects of worship
A few years after the Summer of Love, this approach to customisation began to become institutionalised in the world of contemporary art. It was the Frenchman Hervé Poulain, auctioneer and rally driver, who will inaugurate a long-term partnership between the brand BMW and internationally renowned artists. It then gives rise to The Art Car, the artistic car. To combine his two passions, with the agreement of the German brand, he approached the American sculptor and painter in 1975 Alexander Calder to transform a BMW 3.0 CSL a veritable painting on wheels. The artist elaborates on this three-dimensional steel support with red, yellow and blue geometric shapes. The work competed that year for the 24 Hours of Le Mans under number 93, free of sponsors to allow its bodywork to be fully admired.
From that day on, Nineteen BMWs have been redesigned by great artists such as Roy Lichtenstein (1977), Andy Warhol (1979) or more recently Jeff Koons (2010).
The cult of Art Cars having grown in popularity, it now has its grand gathering where enthusiasts have met since 1997, Artcar Fest from San Francisco. Organised by « Chartists » themselves (namely, car customisation artists), they justify their approach by the necessity bringing art into the world every day by driving their vehicles to work, to go shopping and to travel on the motorways.
Street artists take up the mantle
In the meantime, with the development of street art, urban furniture as well as Everything in the public space has been transformed into an artistic medium.. Whether it's sometimes a simple tag or a sumptuous detailed fresco on a utility truck or the trailer of a heavy goods vehicle, A new breed of artists has taken over the customisation of motorised transport..
One of the achievements that formalised the practice of the show model, opening the field of Live painting on vehicle, is surely the customisation of the footballer's car Éric Cantona. For a charity event, in aid of Abbé Pierre Foundation, he is approaching the American graffiti artist JonOne to tag his 1984 Rolls-Royce Corniche live from the show « Le Grand Journal » on Canal +, in 2012. Offered at auction, it is Resold for €125,000, sum redistributed to the foundation. She reappears in 2014, enthroned majestically in the entrance hall of The Molitor hotel.
As Urban art is gaining its place in museums, numerous brands linked to the automotive industry are seizing this trend to promote their models. Some of them and so invited street artists to come and put on a show live to give their latest car a new look.
As part of an artistic marketing operation, the French artist «Tribal Pop» Camille Walala has been commissioned to give a vehicle a makeover, using their multicoloured collages Renault for the rental company Ada.
The artist Bradley Theodor and in turn, he placed his pictorial expertise at the service of the novel Rolls-Royce Phantom which became his canvas for a client from the UAE.
With the growing popularity of this type of artistic event – which can easily be staged as a live painting session in front of an audience – we have also teamed up with Street Designers to draw on the expertise of our street artists to offer vehicles redesigned in line with our clients’ values and visual identity. This year in particular, Opera, a member of our team and a recognised graffiti artist in the Parisian urban art scene, has been invited to Decorate a scooter for the Microsoft Build launch.
If you too wish to customise a vehicle with a street artist or perform a live show during the launch of a new model, don't hesitate to contact us. ICI
