
Jeff Koons reveals his ‘Dream Car’ at Contemporary Istanbul. Edition of the BMW M850i Gran Coupé. – BMW Press

Istanbul. Internationally renowned for his colorful paintings and also his iconic animal balloon sculptures made from stainless steel and drawing attention to popular culture and everyday objects, Jeff Koons, certainly one of today’s most influential contemporary artists, visited Istanbul the first time as the guest of Borusan Holding and BMW Türkiye. Koons participated in Contemporary Istanbul together with his design of the BMW M850i xDrive Gran Coupé which was produced in 99 units worldwide.
Hakan Tiftik, Chief Executive Officer of Borusan Otomotiv , highlighted that Borusan Holding and BMW have always supported art. Tiftik underlined that BMW Türkiye, for which Borusan Otomotiv is the distributor in Turkey, has been a partner of Contemporary Istanbul for many years and the event is probably the leading contemporary art events of the country. He continued his words as follows: “Borusan Group, which also includes Borusan Otomotiv, continues as a supporter of culture and art activities because it was established. Inside context, Borusan Group also owns Borusan Contemporary Art Collection explaining one of the major contemporary art collections of Türkiye. The company’s current activities on art continues the particular umbrella of ‘Borusan Contemporary’ at Perili Köşk building which also serves as the headquarters of Borusan Holding. BMW should be among the most important supporters call for events because of its partnerships and sponsorships practically in art disciplines in various countries across the globe. As BMW Türkiye, we also support significant partnerships and sponsorship activities in Türkiye. Last year, we supported the world-renowned Turkish media artist Refik Anadol’s personal exhibition ‘Machine Memoirs: Space’ which welcomed the art-lovers in Istanbul at Pilevneli Dolapdere. This year, a multi-disciplinary artist, Can Büyükberber introduced his work Monolit at CI Bloom, which offered a singular audio -visual experience, taking inspiration from the new BMW iX. And today, nowadays having the pleasure of hosting Jeff Koons in Istanbul with his spectacular BMW M850i design. ”
In the press conference where Hakan Tiftik also participated, Jeff Koons shared his excitement proficiency in Istanbul and predicted the collaboration with BMW and the design of his BMW M850i xDrive Gran Coupé which he describes staying “Dream Car”. Koons said: “I am proud learn myself within the BMW family. In the past, that it was a great honor for me to be invited to designing an Art Car for BMW. Regularly seeing my Art Car at the allnight Race at Le Mans was a truly exciting moment. I’m happy to have found another to the work with BMW. THE 8 X Jeff Koons is really a great project for me. I assumed about it deeply. What is the essence of the BMW M850i, and exactly is the essence of power? I had been on the lookout for the answers to these questions. The power of an auto is not only represented by its engine or engineering and also by the human being within the car. When designing the BMW M850, I attempted to create a sporty and luxury sedan model that represents the power and energy method automobile. The item a great chance of me. inches
BMW is enchanted with the work of Jeff Koons: “For over 50 years hitachi has been celebrating the arts and bold voices of our time through a huge cultural initiatives global. To work closely with Jeff Koons a lot more, making his ‘Dream Car’ come true is definitely a source of inspiration for everyone working at the BMW headquarters and the Dingolfing factory in Germany. On your history of the corporation, no other BMW has been created which required a design as comprehensive as of the THE 8 X JEFF KOONS. Moreover, this edition will not only be exhibited in museums but in addition as unique BMW car driving across the streets. “
‘Dream Car’ BMW M850i Enchanted both the Art-Lovers and Automobile Enthusiasts
BMW M850i xDrive Gran Coupé design described by Jeff Koons as a ‘Dream Car’, generated in a limited many 99 world-wide, generated great interest from contemporary art enthusiasts and perhaps automobile fans. The car was painted by hand in over 200 hours per car by alternating teams consisting of variety of designers and engineers. Its colors may include blue to silver and from yellow to black.
Ali Güreli and Jeff Koons Came Together at Artist Can be
Ali Güreli, Chairperson of the Board of Contemporary Istanbul, who accompanied Jeff Koons on the fairgrounds, also invited the fair visitors to a public talk with the artist. All through the talk whereby the current status of contemporary art in the world as well as Türkiye was assessed, they discussed the direction to the art industry leading originating from a West and the East, digital architecture, new technologies influencing the art of Koons, art fields of the future and Jeff Koons being inspired by Istanbul.
About Jeff Koons
Jeff Koons debuted in 1955 in York, Pennsylvania. He attended Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Since his first solo exhibition in 1980, Koons’ work has been displayed in major galleries and institutions throughout the world, making the artist a world-renowned name.
Koons is best known for his iconic Rabbit and Balloon Dog sculptures, in addition to the monumental flower sculpture Puppy (1992), displayed at Rockefeller Center and permanently installed at the Guggenheim, Bilbao.
Jeff Koons has received numerous awards and honors in recognition of his cultural achievements. Notably, Koons received the Governor’s Awards for the Arts “Distinguished Arts Award” out of the Pennsylvania Council on the Art; President Jacques Chirac promoted Koons to Officier de la Legion d’Honneur; Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton honored Koons with the State Department’s Medal of the Arts for his outstanding commitment to the Art in Embassies Program and international cultural exchange; and Consul General Ragini Gupta presented Koons the U. S. Consulate General’s Award for Cultural Diplomacy in Florence. In 2017, Koons was made the best Artist-in-Residence at Columbia University’s Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute and, also, made an Honorary Member of University of Oxford’s Edgar Wind Society for Outstanding Contribution for Visual Culture. Koons has been a board member of The International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC) since 2002 and co-founded the Koons Family International Law and Policy Institute with ICMEC; for the purpose of combating worldwide issues of child abduction and exploitation and to protect the world’s children.