Automotive

The $10-million artwork that might win Le Mans

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At left is Julie Mehretu's "Everywhen" (2021-2023), an ink and acrylic on canvas measuring 120 inches (305 cm) square. At right is the BMW M Hybrid V8 that will wear the painting in the 92nd 24 Hours of Le Mans on 15–16 June 2024
At left is Julie Mehretu's "Everywhen" (2021-2023), an ink and acrylic on canvas measuring 120 inches (305 cm) square. At right is the BMW M Hybrid V8 that will wear the painting in the 92nd 24 Hours of Le Mans on 15–16 June 2024
"Untitled" (2001) by Julie Mehretu sold for HKD $72,979,000 (USD $9,344,377) at Sotheby's Hong Kong on 5 October 2023.
"Walkers With the Dawn and Morning" (2008) by Julie Mehretu sold for USD $10,737,500 at Sotheby's NOW Evening Auction in New York on16 November 2023
The 20th BMW Art Car will compete in the 2024 Le Mans 24 Hour race
BMW
Julie Mahretu's BMW Art Car was displayed throughout the 2024 Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este
BMW
The 20th BMW Art Car being unveiled at the 2024 Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este
BMW
Julie Mahretu's BMW Art Car was displayed throughout the 2024 Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este
BMW
Julie Mahretu's BMW Art Car was displayed throughout the 2024 Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este
BMW
BMW
Julie Mahretu's BMW Art Car was displayed throughout the 2024 Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este
BMW
With matching race suits also designed for the race, it was only natural that Julie should get her own race suit.
BMW
If just the bodywork went on sale in a New York Art Gallery, heaven knows what it might fetch. If it wins the world's most important race ...
BMW
Julie Mehretu is trending towards art world superstardom
BMW
Julie and her team during the gestation period of the project
BMW
Julie Mehretu's first million dollar sale was in 2010, when Sotheby's sold "Untitled 1" forUSD $1,022,500 at a sale "Selected Works from the Neuberger Berman and Lehman Brothers Corporate Art Collections"
When Julie began work on the BMW art car project, she chose to adapt one of her best-known works, “Everywhen” (1921-23)
BMW
From top left to right: David Hockney, Andy Warhol, Jeff Koons. Middle row: Alexander Calder, Michael Jagamara Nelson, Roy Lichtenstein. Bottom row: Ken Done, Frank Stella, Ernst Fuchs
BMW
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Ethiopian-born American artist Julie Mehretu is on a roll. In October 2023, one of her paintings sold for US$9.3 million with another fetching $10.7 million in November 2023. Though she had been "the most likely to succeed" for three decades, her work has now moved her name into the pantheon of African, womens and indeed all art. In 2024, one of her near priceless artworks might win the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

2023 was a stand-out year for Julie Mehretu, even considering a lifetime of high achievement. Mehretu's large-scale artworks have been forging a reputation for her that has been growing internationally for decades.

The first of her artworks to sell for more than $1 million at auction was in 2010, when she was just 40 years of age.

Julie Mehretu's first million dollar sale was in 2010, when Sotheby's sold "Untitled 1" forUSD $1,022,500 at a sale "Selected Works from the Neuberger Berman and Lehman Brothers Corporate Art Collections"

2010 was also the year investment bank Goldman Sachs paid her $5 million to create an artwork fitting for its new $2-billion headquarters at 200 West Street in Lower Manhattan.

Now here's where perception and reality will collide for most people. Not only did Julie deliver on the project, she is believed to have spent more than $4 million on the fabrication and construction alone, with the project running two years and involving 30+ staff. That's no doubt, a different kind of work ethic and commitment to vision than most people associated with the art world.

2023 was the year that (by then) 52-year-old Julie really hit the big time.

First she was announced as the next BMW Art Car artist, the 20th of an illustrious series that began in 1975.

From top left to right: David Hockney, Andy Warhol, Jeff Koons. Middle row: Alexander Calder, Michael Jagamara Nelson, Roy Lichtenstein. Bottom row: Ken Done, Frank Stella, Ernst Fuchs
BMW

Considering the names that have gone before Julie in the series, simply being chosen was an honor, but Julie was on a roll.

"Untitled" (2001) by Julie Mehretu sold for HKD $72,979,000 (USD $9,344,377) at Sotheby's Hong Kong on 5 October 2023.

The sale of two paintings, one for $9.34 million in October 2023 and another for $10.74 million in November 2023, elevated Julie to a new level in the art world and she is now entering unprecedented territory for a woman.

"Walkers With the Dawn and Morning" (2008) by Julie Mehretu sold for USD $10,737,500 at Sotheby's NOW Evening Auction in New York on16 November 2023

When "Walkers With the Dawn and Morning" (2008) sold for $10,737,500 it became the highest sale of an African artwork in history, at the same time as moving Julie into second place on the list of the most expensive artwork sold at auction by a living woman artist.

Jenny Saville's "Propped" (1992), which fetched $12.4 million in 2018, is the only artwork by a living female artist that has sold for more, and Metehru's work is now sitting just outside the top 10 female prices of all time ... and she is at the height of her health and powers.

With many more productive years ahead of her, Julie seems almost certain to join Jenny Saville in breaking through the barriers that have depressed the prices of artwork created by females.

When Julie began work on the BMW art car project, she chose to adapt one of her best-known works, “Everywhen” (1921-23)
BMW

Julie's decision to use her recently created "Everywhen" (2021-23) is the first time we've seen an important painting adapted to an automobile. "Everywhen" is currently being exhibited at Palazzo Grassi in Venice, after which it will find a permanent home at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

Julie and her team during the gestation period of the project
BMW

One of the wonderful aspects of the BMW Art Car program, is to see the artists behind the work, and the following video perfectly depicts Julie's adaptation of “Everywhen” (1921-23) to become the skin of a competitive sports prototype racing.

The car was shown publicly for the first time at Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este on the shores of Lake Como last weekend (24-26 May 2024) and it has turned out better than could possibly have been expected.

If just the bodywork went on sale in a New York Art Gallery, heaven knows what it might fetch. If it wins the world's most important race ...
BMW

We've included several images of the car from Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este in this story, and there are many more in the image gallery.

Julie Mahretu's BMW Art Car was displayed throughout the 2024 Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este
BMW
BMW

If you're interested in following the exploits of the 20th BMW Art Car, practice for the race begins on 12 June and the race finishes 15 June. We'll update this page closer to the time with details of how you can watch the lead-up and race online.

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2 comments
Aermaco
Interesting how there is no vertical surface on the rear of the car for any paint to reside. It is an excellent streamlined design job of erasing that rear vacuum.
I can't wait to see who will win LM24 and maybe the art will help by intimidating the opposition,,?,, nah!.
spyinthesky
Fantastic to see, not been aware of her work before and looks stunning on the car. However it’s ridiculous to claim the Le Man 24 Hours is the ‘Worlds most important race’ just to try to further emphasise the art, once perhaps but these days the race is just a welcome historical peculiarity that barely gets a mention in the media. And I say that as someone who as a teen used to listen to it avidly all weekend and more recently produced artworks of some of the classic winners. The ‘prototype’ class cars were/are works of art in themselves but sadly barely survive in the realms of modern car racing.