Car Art

I don't know much about cars, but I do appreciate things of beauty, and so I decided to attend the car art show at the Ayala Museum with good friends Divina, Cielo, Lady and Bob. This is a part of the world tour through international museums and features BMW automobiles designed by artists Ken Done, Roy Lichtenstein, Frank Stella and Andy Warhol.


“I have tried to give a vivid depiction of speed. If a car is really fast, all contours and colours will become blurred”. Andy Warhol is an icon synonymous to pop art and his car is just that- a perfect depiction of his interpretation of a car at speed. I watch in awe at the video as he paints the car himself, taking no more than 24 minutes, translating the cost of the six-cylinder engine to a whopping 10 million euros. This car has a top speed of 307 km/hr, and has raced for the first and last time at the 1979 24-hour race at Le Mans, France.

Although that night, it was more about fashion than the need for speed, I couldn't help but remember about a piece I read many years ago on driving. Etienne Lebrunne wrote that love is like riding a fast car. You feel the rush in your body, the wind in your hair, but you never know when it's going to end. She may leave at some point, leaving you to take the rest of your destination on your own, or it can lead to fascinating discoveries and wonderful memories. We can't control how the journey ends, and so he tells us to enjoy the ride and the memories that will linger after the ride is over.

The car art show is open from March 3 to March 30 at the Ayala Museum in Makati.