BMW x DART

Inspired by the idea behind the BMW Art Car Collection, the Driven Artists Racing Team (DART Car) commissioned award-winning artist Mickalene Thomas to design a custom wrap for their debut racecar, the McLaren Artura GT4. Founded by entrepreneur Zoë Barry and art advisor Spring McManus, DART showcases the achievements of women in the traditionally male-dominated fields of art and motorsport. More than a racing project, DART is a cultural movement—uniting fine art, competitive motorsport, and collectible design to spark new conversations about access, equity, and representation.  

The team’s race number, 44, highlights that only 4% of professional drivers are women and only 4% of art sold at auction is by female artists. By racing as #44, DART confronts these inequities and positions its work as both competition and commentary. 

Globally recognized for her bold use of rhinestones, enamel, and layered collage, Mickalene Thomas has redefined representation and beauty in contemporary art. Thomas created what can be described as the first DART x Mickalene collection for motorsport: a hand-painted series of race helmets, the team’s striking livery, and the custom McLaren wrap itself. The first two helmets of this limited release have already been acquired, underscoring the recognition of DART objects as both cultural artifacts and collectible works of art. 

When DART Car began contemplating The Bridge as a platform to feature Mickalene Thomas’s exquisite McLaren, BMW Art Car No. 20 by Julie Mehretu came to mind as the perfect counterpart to share the show field with as both cars embody the spirit of artistic beauty and limitless speed. Having celebrated its World Premiere in Paris last year before taking on the 24 Hours of Le Mans like many of its predecessors, Mehretu’s BMW M Hybrid V8 is the latest in a long line of storied BMW Art Cars dating back half a century. Mehretu follows in the footsteps of art icons like Frank Stella, Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol, Robert Rauschenberg, Esther Mahlangu, David Hockney, Jenny Holzer, and Jeff Koons. 

Julie Mehretu was nominated to be BMW’s 20th Art Car collaborator by an independent jury of gallerists and curators from across the globe. Space, movement, and energy have always been central motifs in Mehretu's work. For the design of BMW Art Car No. 20, the Ethiopian-born, New York-based contemporary artist transformed a two-dimensional image into a three-dimensional representation, with which she succeeded in bringing dynamism into form. Mehretu used the color and form vocabulary of her monumental painting Everywhen (2021–2023) as a starting point for her design. Its abstract visual form results from digitally altered photographs, which are superimposed in several layers of dot grids, neon-colored veils, and the black markings characteristic of Mehretu's work. The fusion of image and vehicle was realized with the help of 3D mapping, with which the motif was transferred to the contours of the vehicle. 

In celebration of BMW Art Car No. 20 by Julie Mehretu and Mickalene Thomas’ custom-designed McLaren, an Art Talk with both artists, Zoë Barry, and Dr. Thomas Girst, Global Head of BMW Group Cultural Engagement, will take place on September 13 at 4pm. The conversation, moderated by Spring McManus, will explore the fascinating fusion of contemporary art and motorsports, underscoring how both projects—BMW’s and DART’s—use creativity, speed, and vision to challenge conventions and inspire future generations.