INTELLIGENT
SOPHISTICATED
Basel,one of this year’s highlights of the international art scene will take place from June 13 to 16, 2013, when the premier art fair for Modern and contemporary art will open its doors in Basel. More than 300 galleries from all over the world will exhibit at Art Basel, showcasing works of more than 4,000 renowned artists as well as promising new talents. As a long-term partner of the shows in Basel, Miami Beach, and now in Hong Kong, BMW continues to support Art Basel with its comprehensive VIP shuttle service. In addition, BMW will present one of its legendary BMW Art Cars in the BMW VIP CAR Service-Lounge: The BMW 525i designed in 1991 by South African artist Esther Mahlangu.
A second Art Car, Robert Rauschenberg‘s “rolling sculpture” from 1986, will be showcased in the French town of Saint-Louis, just a ten-minute drive from the fair. From June 2 to September 22, 2013, the Fernet-Branca Museum will present “American Abstraction”, an exhibition focusing on seven exceptional American artists of the abstract movement who are rarely shown in Europe.
In May 2013, the BMW Group was already partnering with Art Basel at the premier in Hong Kong. At the first edition of Art Basel's show in Hong Kong, artworks from the East and the West were set in direct relation. Across all five days over 60,000 international collectors, patrons from cultural institutions and people who are interested in art visited the show. The guests were awaited by 245 leading galleries with exhibition spaces in 35 countries and territories that showcased work by over 3,000 artists. As the official automotive partner of the fair, BMW has powered the VIP shuttle service with BMW 7 Series cars. The BMW Art Car by the Spanish artist César Manrique of 1990 was presented on the concourse of the exhibition centre.
In addition to Art Basel’s shows in Basel, Miami Beach and Hong Kong, BMW also supports other prestigious art fairs all over the world, including Frieze Art Fair in London and New York, Art Toronto, Art Amsterdam, TEFAF Maastricht, Paris Photo in Paris and L.A., abc art contemporary berlin as well as the art initiatives Gallery Weekend Berlin and Independent Collectors. The BMW Group also cooperates on a long-term basis with numerous cultural institutions and artists worldwide, supporting projects such as the BMW Guggenheim Lab and the Nationalgalerie Prize for Young Art.
About Art Basel
Art Basel stages the world's premier art shows for Modern and contemporary works, sited in Basel, Miami Beach, and Hong Kong. Defined by its host city and region, each show is unique, which is reflected in its participating galleries, artworks presented, and the content of parallel programming produced in collaboration with local institutions for each edition. In addition to ambitious stands featuring leading galleries from around the world, each show's singular exhibition sectors spotlight the latest developments in the visual arts, offering visitors new ideas, new inspiration and new contacts in the art world.
The BMW Group
The BMW Group is the leading premium manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles in the world with its BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce brands. As a global company, the BMW Group operates 28 production and assembly facilities in 13 countries and has a global sales network in more than 140 countries.
In 2012, the BMW Group sold about 1.85 million cars and more than 117,000 motorcycles worldwide. The profit before tax for the financial year 2012 was euro 7.82 billion on revenues amounting to euro 76.85 billion. At 31 December 2012, the BMW Group had a workforce of 105,876 employees.
The success of the BMW Group has always been built 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. As a result of its efforts, the BMW Group has been ranked industry leader in the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes for the last eight years.