Lot 48: Robin Rhode (South African, born 1976) Z4 panel from the BMW project 'Expression of Joy', 2009

Robin Rhode (South African, born 1976)
Z4 panel from the BMW project 'Expression of Joy', 2009
tile #533
paint on plywood
50 x 60cm (19 11/16 x 23 5/8in).
Footnotes

Provenance
Gifted by BMW to the current owner in 2009.
The property of a prominent Motor Car journalist.

In the tradition of BMW's "Art Car" collection (in which artists from Andy Warhol to Esther Mahlangu have been commissioned to paint a scale model of one of the latest cars), Robin Rhodes became the first artist to use the car itself – the 2009 BMW Z4 Roadster – as the paintbrush, rather than the canvas.

Initially creating a series of fingerpainted storyboards, the artist gave a stunt driver specific instructions for driving atop a massive canvas composed of multiple panels (of which the current lot is one), while he remote controlled the release of paint through nozzles attached to the wheel arches. Colour would spray onto the tires, their treads tracking marks across the canvas: at several points, the artist himself also entered the arena, throwing pots of paint and interacting with the canvas in a complex colour choreography.

Rhodes has remarked: "This work is an expression of painting in action – my hope is to communicate the power and thrill inherent in the creation of art... For me, the use of an untraditional paintbrush like a high performance car is a great way to investigate the relationship between emotion, technology and industrial creativity."