Munich/Mpumalanga.
25 years ago, Esther Mahlangu, a South African artist,
was the first woman to create artwork on a BMW 525i Sedan. Its
bodywork was adorned with the bright colours and unique ornamental
shapes, typical of Ndebele art, thus turning it into a BMW Art Car.
Esther Mahlangu has now, for the second time, joined forces with
BMW and refined a BMW 7 Series. In collaboration with the BMW
Individual Manufaktur, Mahlangu transformed a luxury sedan into
a dynamic work of art by painting her characteristic motifs on the
real wood interior trims.
To facilitate this the specialists at BMW Individual Manufaktur
oversaw the full manufacturing process. They developed a special
white-coloured fine-wood trim to be painted with Esther’s images
before sealing them to ensure their longevity and installing them
within the equally remarkable vehicle. The one-of-a-kind automobile
will be shown to the public for the first time at this year’s
Frieze Art Fair (5- 9 October) in Regent’s Park, London. The
vehicle will be offered for silent auction. Proceeds from the sale of
the vehicle will be donated to a good cause.
The 81-year-old artist said: “To paint is in my heart and it’s
in my blood. The way I paint was taught to me by my mother and my
grandmother. The images and colours have changed and I have painted
on many different surfaces and objects but I still love to paint.
The patterns I have used on the BMW parts marry tradition to the
essence of BMW. When BMW sent me the panels to paint, I could see
the design in my head and I just wanted to get started! I start by
painting the small ones first to get the feel of the surface and
then it was easy as the design follows the lines of the panels.
My art has taken me all over the world and I have seen many
places, I have painted many walls and objects and my work is in many
museums but I am still Esther Mahlangu from Mpumalanga in South
Africa. My heart was full of joy when BMW asked me again to paint
for them.”
Dr Ian Robertson, Member of the Board of the BMW AG, explained:
“Within the framework of the long-term partnership with Frieze and
Frieze Masters, we are combining our cultural engagement with
BMW Individual for the very first time. I am delighted that we have
been able to work again with Esther Mahlangu, an exceptional artist
and someone I remember well from my time in South Africa. Together
with experts from BMW Individual Manufaktur and BMW Group Design,
Esther has created a unique work of art – a BMW Individual 7 Series
that forms an extraordinary relationship between craftsmanship and
Ndebele art.”
The BMW Individual 7 Series by Esther Mahlangu is a right-hand drive
vehicle, boasting an array of equipment from the comprehensive BMW
Individual Collection in addition to the unique features incorporated
by the BMW Individual Manufaktur. 20-inch BMW Individual light alloy
wheels in V-spoke styling 649 I underscore the elegant appearance of
the BMW 7 Series while the exterior bodywork is coated in
BMW Individual Pure metal Silver.
The interior features BMW Individual full fine-grain Merino leather
in Smoke White/Black, the highest quality leather available for a BMW,
including seats with weave-look stitching and hand-woven piping. The
leather’s natural smoothness and its fine structure offers a unique
look and feel. The full leather trim also includes the rear panelling
of the seats, the upper and lower instrument panel as well as the door
panels, including B pillars finished in fine-grain Merino leather. A
BMW Individual leather steering wheel with applications in Piano
finish Black and an Alcantara headliner in Smoke White complete the
exclusive ambience of the interior.
The prestigious BMW 740Li is powered by a high-performing in-line
six-cylinder petrol engine with BMW TwinPower Turbo technology,
240 kW/326 hp (combined fuel consumption: 7.0–6.8 l/100 km; combined
CO2 emissions: 164–159 g/km)* and a powerful maximum torque of 450 Nm.
The dynamic sedan sprints from 0 to100 km/h in just 5.6 seconds; top
speed is limited to 250 km/h. The BMW 740Li features an 8-speed
Steptronic transmission and has the lowest vehicle weight in its
segment. It is ECE registered and therefore unable to be registered in
the United States.
Premiere at the Frieze Art Fair in London.
The BMW Individual 7 Series by Esther Mahlangu will be unveiled at
the BMW Lounge at Frieze in London, located directly next to the
“Frieze Auditorium”. Further artwork by the South African artist will
also be on display providing an insight into her creative work.
The vehicle will be auctioned in a silent sale starting
September 5th where bidders can submit their bids online at
https://www.bmw.co.uk/7seriesauction or
register their bid during the fair at the BMW 7 Series Lounge after
having experienced the unveiling of the car. After the fair has
ended, the person with the highest bid will become the vehicle
owner, facilitated through BMW Retail Online. Proceeds will go to
the charitable art project “The Art Room”, a project jointly chosen
by Frieze and BMW. Using art as a medium, “The Art Room” supports
five to sixteen year old children and youths in their development.
At an Art Talk event being held during Frieze week in London, Esther
Mahlangu will also speak on the topic of South African art together
with Christopher Spring, curator of contemporary, Eastern and
Southern Africa at the British Museum, and provide further insight
into her creative work.
For Esther Mahlangu, art is created from tradition.
Esther Mahlangu was born a member of the Ndebele tribe in 1935
in Middelburg, a small town in the north-eastern province of
Mpumalanga. At the early age of 10, she began to paint under the
guidance of her mother and grandmother.
Traditionally, Ndebele women decorate the exterior walls of
houses with elaborately painted patterns and graphic elements,
symbolising important events such as weddings or other celebrations,
thus the walls are used as active communicative media within the
community. Esther Mahlangu has separated these decorations and
patterns from her people‘s traditional art of painting. In the form
of pictures, vessels or carpets, she has constantly brought it into
new contexts, thereby combining her artwork with items used in
everyday life.
Experience personal style with BMW Individual. Products from the BMW
Individual Collection offer the customer unique equipment options.
They comprise equipment features that are perfectly aligned to each
BMW model, including exclusive paint finishes (such as silky matt BMW
Individual Frozen paint finishes), high quality leather, special
interior trims and other equipment options. If a customer should
desire even greater individuality, the BMW Individual Manufaktur will
find a solution and implement it with meticulousness, precision and
masterful craftsmanship. The results are personalized one-of-a-kind
vehicles that uniquely reflect the owner’s unmistakable character. In
order to achieve this, the BMW Individual Manufaktur offers a
virtually inexhaustible spectrum of possibilities. These include more
than 100 special paint finishes, including uni and metallic paint,
finishes or a choachline.
BMW Individual Manufaktur offers countless possibilities to design
the interior according to personal preference. Initials or logos on
the interior trim, door sill finishers, headrests or sun protection
blinds are just a few ways of personalising a vehicle. The
BMW Individual Manufaktur is even able to incorporate a customer’s own
materials into the design of the vehicle. Experts at the BMW
Individual Manufaktur have both the experience and the know-how to
implement virtually any desired equipment option. The vehicles created
in this way are not simply unique, but also impressively demonstrate
the outstanding craftsmanship and the nature of the BMW Individual
Manufaktur – customer orientation of the highest degree.
In the event of enquiries please contact:
Matthias Bode, Spokesperson BMW Individual
Telephone:
+49-89-382-61742,
E-Mail:
matthias.bode@bmwgroup.com
Dr. Thomas Girst
BMW Group Corporate and Intergovernmental Affairs, Head of Cultural Engagement
Telephone:
+49-89-382-24753,
E-Mail:
thomas.girst@bmwgroup.com
Benjamin Titz, Spokesperson BMW M GmbH
Telephone:
+49-89-382-22998,
Fax:
+49-89-382-20226
E-Mail:
benjamin.titz@bmw.de
Internet: www.press.bmwgroup.com
E-Mail: presse@bmw.de
The BMW Group
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In 2015, the BMW Group sold approximately2.247 million cars and
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* Fuel consumption based on results of EU test cycle, depending on
tyre size.