BMW Art Car World Tour 2026 Begins at Rétromobile in Paris

BMW Group continues the BMW Art Car World Tour in 2026, opening at Rétromobile Paris with seven Le Mans Art Cars celebrating 50 years of the collection.

The BMW Group is opening a new chapter of the BMW Art Car World Tour, extending the anniversary celebrations marking 50 years of the BMW Art Car Collection. Following an extensive global journey in 2025 that spanned five continents, more than 30 countries and over 45 venues, the tour moves into 2026 with a symbolic opening in Paris at Rétromobile, one of the world’s most prestigious classic car exhibitions.

The past year marked a milestone for the collection. More than two million visitors encountered the 20 BMW Art Cars, created in collaboration with internationally renowned artists such as Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Jenny Holzer and Julie Mehretu. The cars were presented not only at art fairs and museums, but also at motorsport events including the 24 Hours of Le Mans, underlining the project’s core idea: art and automotive performance meeting in real motion rather than in static display.

The 2026 tour begins with a highlight. From 28 January to 1 February, Rétromobile at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles will host a unique reunion of all seven BMW Art Cars that competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The selection includes Alexander Calder’s BMW 3.0 CSL, Andy Warhol’s BMW M1, Jenny Holzer’s BMW V12 LMR and Julie Mehretu’s BMW M Hybrid V8. Together with the organisers, BMW will present the cars in a central exhibition inspired by the concept of a “legendary garage,” placing their artistic value firmly within a racing and historical context.

Paris and Rétromobile provide a fitting setting for this opening. In 2026, the show celebrates its own 50th anniversary and, for the first time, takes place under the high patronage of the French Ministry of Culture, reinforcing its position as a cultural event rather than a conventional automotive fair.

The anniversary extends beyond the exhibition halls. From 16 to 26 January, BMW Art Car #1 by Alexander Calder will be displayed free of charge in the courtyard of the Hôtel de la Marine at Place de la Concorde. The presentation coincides with the centenary of Calder’s arrival in Paris and accompanies major museum retrospectives dedicated to the artist in France and the United States.

The cultural significance of the collection was further underlined in 2025 when Andy Warhol’s BMW Art Car was added to the National Historic Vehicle Register of the United States, becoming the first BMW to receive this recognition as an object of national historical importance.

After Paris, the BMW Art Car World Tour will continue throughout 2026 with further stops in Germany, appearances at Art Basel in Doha and Hong Kong, and exhibitions across several European countries. An additional presentation is planned at BMW Welt in Munich during the summer. Rather than concluding the anniversary, the new tour phase positions the Art Car Collection as an evolving cultural format, firmly rooted in the dialogue between art, heritage and mobility.