BMW Group Japan and KYOTOGRAPHIE.

Kyoto. Once again showing their ongoing support of
cultural engagement projects, BMW Group Japan has committed to a major
long-term collaboration with KYOTOGRAPHIE, Kyoto’s International
Photography Festival. As the main supporter, BMW Group Japan will work
with KYOTOGRAPHIE to encourage interest in Japanese art and culture,
and to promote sustainable mobility solutions in Kyoto and throughout
Japan. Featuring a wealth of artists and collections from around the
world, KYOTOGRAPHIE celebrates its 5th anniversary this April with the
theme of “LOVE”.

 

This year, BMW is working with KYOTOGRAPHIE to host Japan’s first
post-mortem retrospective exhibition for the works of Arnold Newman.
Known as a master of portrait photography, Arnold Newman is famous for
photographing celebrities such as Marilyn Monroe, Pablo Picasso and
Igor Stravinsky, along with several BMW Art Car contributors. BMW has
been working with artists from all over the world since 1975 to create
BMW Art Cars as part of their commitment to cultural engagement.
Possibly the most famous of these is the BMW Art Car No. 4, the BMW M1
decorated by Andy Warhol, an icon of art pop culture and another of
Arnold Newman’s subjects. This Art Car and Arnold Newman’s portrait of
Andy Warhol is currently on display at the KYOTOGRAPHIE exhibition at
World Heritage Site Nijo Castle.

 

BMW’s famous all-electric BMW i3 is also on show, wrapped by Toilet
Paper, an avantgarde picture-based publication and brand created by
Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan together with photographer Pierpaolo
Ferrari. This copy of Cattelan’s original “Spaghetti Car” can only be
seen in Japan for a short time. Meanwhile, a fleet of BMW i3s will be
offered during the month-long event as free shuttle and share cars.

 

A BMW i3 was also lent to the City of Kyoto, KYOTOGRAPHIE’s
co-organizer. BMW Group Japan President and CEO Peter Kronschabl
personally handed over the vehicle to Kyoto City Mayor Mr. Daisaku
Kadokawa as a symbol of the harmony between the city of Kyoto and BMW
Group’s shared goals of sustainability and environmental responsibility.

 

Regarding the collaboration, Mr. Kronschnabl commented that,
“Everyone knows Kyoto as the home of the Kyoto Protocol. Like BMW,
this city is famous for culture and sustainability, for tradition and
innovation. We are proud to support KYOTOGRAPHIE and honored that
Kyoto City will use our BMW i3, the only vehicle in the world made
from 95% recycled materials.”

 

The KYOTOGRAPHIE International Photography Festival is held annually
over four weeks during the height of the spring tourist season in
Kyoto, in a style that is unique in Asia. Exhibitions are spread
across the city, staged creatively in various traditional and
contemporary settings. The exhibitions and events create
opportunities, bringing people together of all ages, cultures and
backgrounds. Now recognized as one of the world’s leading photography
events, Kyotographie has attracted some 250,000 visitors from within
Japan and overseas since 2013.

 

To cap off KYOTOGRAPHIE 2017 and bring the festival to art-lovers in
Tokyo, a special exhibition will be held at BMW Group Tokyo Bay, the
new brand experience center located in the heard of Tokyo’s Odaiba.
With numerous customer events planned, “BMW Art Beat Week” will
include a special closing party on May 31 and a satellite showing of
the “Arnold Newman by BMW” exhibition, with selected works by the
acclaimed photographer as well as his portrait of Andy Warhol.
Visitors can also enjoy the rare chance to see Andy Warhol’s BMW Art
Car in person, as well as exclusive footage of this work of art being
created. Widely held to be one of the most expensive cars in the
world, this BMW Art Car was painted by Andy Warhol in under half an
hour before it went on to take second place in its class at the 1979
24-hour race at Le Mans.

 

Located in the heart of Tokyo, BMW Group Tokyo Bay features two
showrooms with a comprehensive lineup of the latest BMW and MINI
models. Stretching over an entire city block of the bay area, this
cutting-edge facility also boasts a BMW M-standard driving area, a
beautiful café and conference hall, a service workshop and a lifestyle
shop. To fully experience BMW’s “Sheer Driving Pleasure”, visitors can
enjoy a virtual reality test drive in a BMW i3 or a real on-road
experience with one of around 100 different models.

 

For further questions please contact:

 

Dr Thomas Girst

BMW Group Corporate and Intergovernmental Affairs

Head of Cultural Engagement

Telephone: +49-89-382-24753

 

Leonie Laskowski

BMW Group Corporate and Intergovernmental Affairs

Cultural Engagement

Telephone: +49-89-382-45382

 

www.press.bmwgroup.com

Email:
presse@bmw.de

 

About BMW Group’s Cultural Commitment

 

For almost 50 years now, the BMW Group has initiated and engaged in
over 100 cultural cooperations worldwide. The company places the main
focus of its long-term commitment on contemporary and modern art,
classical music and jazz as well as architecture and design. In 1972,
three large-scale paintings were created by the artist Gerhard Richter
specifically for the foyer of the BMW Group’s Munich headquarters.
Since then, artists such as Andy Warhol, Jeff Koons, Daniel Barenboim,
Jonas Kaufmann and architect Zaha Hadid have co-operated with BMW.
Currently, female artist Cao Fei from China and American John
Baldessari are creating the next two vehicles for the BMW Art Car
Collection. Besides co-initiatives, such as BMW Tate Live, the BMW Art
Journey and the “Opera for All” concerts in Berlin, Munich and London,
the company also partners with leading museums and art fairs as well
as orchestras and opera houses around the world. The BMW Group takes
absolute creative freedom in all its cultural activities – as this
initiative is as essential for producing groundbreaking artistic work
as it is for major innovations in a successful business.

Further information:
www.bmwgroup.com/culture

and
www.bmwgroup.com/culture/overview

 

 

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@BMWGroupCulture

#BMWGroupCulture

 

The BMW Group

 

With its three brands BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce, the BMW Group is the
world’s leading premium manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles
and also provides premium financial and mobility services. As a global
company, the BMW Group operates 31 production and assembly facilities
in 14 countries and has a global sales network in more than 140 countries.

 

In 2016, the BMW Group sold approximately 2.367 million cars and
145,000 motorcycles worldwide. The profit before tax was approximately
€ 9.67 billion on revenues amounting to € 94.16 billion. As of 31
December 2016, the BMW Group had a workforce of 124,729 employees.

 

The success of the BMW Group has always been based on long-term
thinking and responsible action. The company has therefore established
ecological and social sustainability throughout the value chain,
comprehensive product responsibility and a clear commitment to
conserving resources as an integral part of its strategy.

 


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