BMW 850 CSi "David Hockney" - 1995
“BMW gave me the model of the car and I kept looking at it and looking at it, and then, I must admit, I also looked at the other Art Cars. In the end I thought, probably it would be good to perhaps show the car so you could be looking inside it.”
E31
BMW Art Car #14
The process leading up to the final work lasted several months, as Hockney not only concerned himself with the external surfaces of the car. He persisted in his idea, and endowed his work with an unusual transparency by allowing the inside of the car to be outwardly visible. Stylized intake manifolds of the engine appear on the bonnet, the driver is visible through the door – and, of course, a dachshund, too.
In his opinion, “Driving and design go hand in hand in a way. Traveling around in a car means experiencing landscapes – which is one of the reasons why I chose green as a color.”
There can be no doubt of Hockney’s love of cars. He enjoys driving immensely, especially when it takes him through the hilly countryside along the winding roads of California, his chosen home.
He is extremely fond of listing to classical music on the road. Clearly a person who understands how to live and enjoy life. His sensitive and equally distinctive perception of the experience of driving has led to a powerful interpretation of that experience.
Hockney’s personal resume on his work for BMW is unusually short, and yet it says all we need to know:
“It was lots of fun.”
“The car has wonderful contours and I followed them,” says David Hockney of the BMW 850CSi he designed. He admits to having playfully “destroyed” the outer surfaces of the car, whilst at the same time he respected its overall design.
BMW Art Cars
20 Artists
50 Years of Innovation
Zoute Grand Prix Car Week 2025
Approach Golf
Knokke - Zoute
België - Belgium
October 2025
BMW 850 CSi "David Hockney" - 1995
“BMW gave me the model of the car and I kept looking at it and looking at it, and then, I must admit, I also looked at the other Art Cars. In the end I thought, probably it would be good to perhaps show the car so you could be looking inside it.”
E31
BMW Art Car #14
The process leading up to the final work lasted several months, as Hockney not only concerned himself with the external surfaces of the car. He persisted in his idea, and endowed his work with an unusual transparency by allowing the inside of the car to be outwardly visible. Stylized intake manifolds of the engine appear on the bonnet, the driver is visible through the door – and, of course, a dachshund, too.
In his opinion, “Driving and design go hand in hand in a way. Traveling around in a car means experiencing landscapes – which is one of the reasons why I chose green as a color.”
There can be no doubt of Hockney’s love of cars. He enjoys driving immensely, especially when it takes him through the hilly countryside along the winding roads of California, his chosen home.
He is extremely fond of listing to classical music on the road. Clearly a person who understands how to live and enjoy life. His sensitive and equally distinctive perception of the experience of driving has led to a powerful interpretation of that experience.
Hockney’s personal resume on his work for BMW is unusually short, and yet it says all we need to know:
“It was lots of fun.”
“The car has wonderful contours and I followed them,” says David Hockney of the BMW 850CSi he designed. He admits to having playfully “destroyed” the outer surfaces of the car, whilst at the same time he respected its overall design.
BMW Art Cars
20 Artists
50 Years of Innovation
Zoute Grand Prix Car Week 2025
Approach Golf
Knokke - Zoute
België - Belgium
October 2025