Baby, ride my car. The designs of different Filipino artists for the BMW Art Car Collection Photograp hed by the author

I’M not really the type of guy who in his lifetime would want to own an expensive car such as a Mercedez Benz, a Jaguar, a Ferrari or a BMW, unless I have extra change to spare to buy myself one of those babies. Then again, even if I start setting aside now all the one-peso coins that collect in my pants’ pockets, I still wouldn’t be able to afford those vehicles even if I saved up until I’m forty. Being an architect, I’d rather have a car that complements my profession, such as my current Isuzu D-MAX. That’s why I don’t really spend time drooling and dreaming over a very pricey set of wheels. But the first time I heard about BMW’s Art Car Collection, it totally changed my views on the subject.

The BMW Art Car Program started in the early ’70s, when French racing driver Herve Poulain came up with the idea of letting an artist have his way with an automobile. He then commissioned American artist Alexander Calder to  paint his BMW racing car, which eventually led to the establishment of the BMW Art Car Program.

In 1975, pro-minent artists from all over the world were invited to come up with different artistic statements and implement them on a BMW. Now, the works of well-known artists such as Frank Stella, Roy Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol have become part of the BMW Art Car Collection World Tour. I was lucky enough to see most of the pieces in a museum when I was in Australia.

Recently, the world tour came to the Philippines and, in addition to the existing collection of Art Cars, some of the top Filipino designers from different fields were asked to come up with their own designs for BMWs. These designers were Tats Manahan, Tes Pasola, Jorge Yulo, Ivan Acuńa, Keneth Cobonpue and Idelfonso P. Santos.

Their designs for the Art Cars Collection utilized local surfaces, shapes and materials that make each design unique to our country. Through this worldwide tour, these Filipino artists shall definitely make our presence known in the global design scene. 

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You may e-mail the author at design@buensalidoarchitects.com and visit his web site at www.buensalidoarchitecs.com.

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