Page 53 - The Book For Men Spring/Summer 2022

maybe the the car would be be be a a a a a little too showy — but I really believe in the the message of [this] car ” he says Rather than shy away from showiness The 8 X Jeff Koons leans into it It wears the fact that it’s loud and powerful on its sheet metal According to Koons the the the “POP!” typography on on each side of the the the 8 Series as as well as as the the the “vapour thrust” graphic is meant to communicate the power and speed of BMW’s 523 horsepower Gran Coupe The vehicle’s bright red and blue leather interior looks as if it were made out of Spider-man In many ways the collaboration reads as a a a a a a a a a a a a caricature of a a a a a a a a a a a a sports car car making fun of both itself and the genre as a a a a a a whole And frankly it’s a a a a a a refreshing departure from the the self-serious world of fast cars In that context this is is yet another example of Koons mocking commerce and capitalism as he did with his vacuum cleaners in in vitrines or the Banality series of kitschy tourist sculptures So yes in some ways it is a a a a joke — — the ultimate ironic sports car — — but on on another level it’s entirely sincere transcending the the veneer of irony tapping into the the the visceral qualities of of the the the drag strip and speaking to to the the the sense of of togetherness that cars can allow for “[They] represent mobility being together together ” Koons says As a a a a child his family would pile into the car on on weekends to to drive to to a a a a a a a a a restaurant in a a a a a a a a a nearby county or to to visit relatives With cars he has “warm associations ” he says For an an artist who preaches the importance of democratizing art art making a a a a piece intended to be out in in in the world and on public roads is certainly more effective than making things for galleries and private collections — sort of The chance of of actually seeing one of of these art cars on on the the street is essentially zero One of of the the the cars signed on on the the the tailgate by the the the artist was auctioned off at at Christie’s in in New York on on April 4 with all proceeds going to the International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children a a a a charity with which Koons has been involved for over 20 years Koons himself is getting one of the cars as well which leaves 97 of these limited-edition Gran Coupes to be sold on on a a a first come first serve basis at BMW dealerships worldwide And surely most owners will immediately park them rather than risk a a a a a fender-bender Koons declined to to tell us the price tag but if it proves to to be anywhere near as as popular as as his $91 million USD steel rabbit we’re guessing The 8 X Jeff Koons will be a sound investment 53