LOS ANGELES – Appearing for the first time in North America in more than 30 years, Andy Warhol: Cars – Works from the Mercedes-Benz Art Collection will open at the Petersen Automotive Museum on Saturday, July 23. The groundbreaking exhibition will present an exclusive look at the relationship between the Cars artwork series and the vehicles it depicts. Taking place in the Armand Hammer Foundation Gallery on the museum’s first floor, the unique display features five of the eight Mercedes-Benz vehicles ultimately depicted in Warhol’s final commission.
The assemblage features some of the most iconic and valuable cars in the world. A 1937 W 125, on loan from the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Germany, was initially built for Grand Prix racing and features a supercharged eight-cylinder engine producing 637 horsepower, making it one of the most powerful road-racing cars for three decades.
Also making its way from the German museum is the unique 1970 C 111-II. The experimental Mercedes-Benz used a highly-aerodynamic fiberglass body and tri-rotor Wankel engine (later replaced with a turbo-charged diesel) to reach speeds of 200 mph.
On loan from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum is a 1954 W 196. A Formula One car piloted by the legendary Juan Manuel Fangio and Stirling Moss, the W 196 model won two world championships before Mercedes pulled out of competitive racing for three decades. A total of 40 original Warhol works from the Cars series, all on loan from the Mercedes-Benz Art Collection, accompany the historical vehicles.
Widely known as the initiator and exponent of the Pop art movement of the 1960s, Warhol was famous for his iconography of everyday items such as Campbell’s Soup cans, Coca-Cola bottles and Brillo boxes, in addition to his colorful renderings of a multitude of famous figures and celebrities (his Shot Sage Blue Marilyn portrait of Marilyn Monroe recently sold for a record-breaking $195 million).
Mercedes-Benz originally commissioned the Cars series in 1986 to help celebrate its 100th anniversary after seeing Warhol’s silkscreen prints of its 300 SL Coupe. Warhol planned to create 80 pieces of art using 20 different Mercedes models spanning the German automaker’s 100-year history. But only 49 works – 36 screen prints on canvas and 13 drawings – were completed before Warhol’s unexpected passing in 1987 after routine surgery, leaving the project unfinished.
Mercedes-Benz 1954 W 196. © Mercedes Benz AG. Courtesy of the Petersen Automotive Museum
“Andy Warhol was an iconic and influential figure that pioneered Pop art and culture,” said Petersen Automotive Museum Executive Director Terry L. Karges. “Not many have seen his automotive works, so we are excited to display them to the public alongside the unique vehicles that inspired his creative visions. It is an exclusive exhibit that appeals to both admirers of fine art and amazing automobiles.”
Also on display in an adjacent gallery will be the 1974 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow owned by Warhol. After achieving commercial success with his art, Warhol bought the Rolls-Royce new and kept it for the rest of his life. Without ever obtaining a driver’s license, Warhol never drove the Silver Shadow, always riding as a passenger and relying on his friends for transportation. His long list of famous chauffeurs includes Mick Jagger, Imelda Marcos and Liza Minnelli.
Visit the website of the Petersen Automotive Museum and see its dedicated page for Andy Warhol: CARS from the Mercedes-Benz Art Collection.