OREANDA-NEWS. The BMW Group is expanding its support of contemporary Art and Culture in the Middle East with the launch of BMW Contemporary, an exclusive initiative that aims to strengthen intercultural dialogues and spark curiosity and imagination. 

BMW Contemporary will unite artists and collectors from across the region to meet, discuss and share their bespoke collections with the public and bring to life their unique stories in a series of online episodes that will be featured across BMW Group Middle East’s social media channels throughout the year. The first episode, entitled “The Art of 7”, will see renowned Art Consultant and Curator Ali Khadra introduce Youssef Nabil, an internationally acclaimed Egyptian artist, and Sheikha Paula Mubarak Al Sabah, a high-profile art lover and collector residing in Kuwait. As the first host of the series, Sheikha Paula has allowed exclusive access to her stunning Kuwait Estate in which audiences will not only learn about her extensive collection but will immerse themselves into Youssef’s world of Egyptian Glamour, departure and loss. 

Commenting on the initiative, Christina Heidlberger, BMW Brand Management, Marketing Services and Event Manager for BMW Group Middle East, said: “The BMW Group has been involved in supporting various arts and cultural platforms for more the 40 years, with hundreds of initiatives taking place worldwide. Here in the Middle East, we are committed to fostering this association and actively seek opportunities to nurture and support regional talent. We believe that BMW Contemporary does just that. It is a great showcase of how creativity knows no boundaries, and we hope that each of the episodes’ artists spark interest and inspire people across the region.” 

Cultural commitment is an integral part of the BMW Group’s corporate culture. The company believes that unrestricted freedom is of the utmost importance, as much so for the art world as it is for ground-breaking innovations within business. “As a car company, we see many synergies with the Art & Culture world. We both strive for innovation, and creativity in many respects be it design or how we engage with our audiences,” continued Heidlberger. 

The BMW Group focuses its cultural cooperations on jazz and classical music, modern and contemporary art, architecture and design.

About BMW’s Cultural Commitment

For more than 40 years now, the BMW Group has initiated and engaged in over 100 cultural cooperations worldwide. The company places the main focus of its long-term commitment on modern and contemporary art, jazz and classical music as well as architecture and design. In 1972, three large-scale paintings were created by the artist Gerhard Richter specifically for the foyer of the BMW Group's Munich headquarters. Since then, artists such as Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Olafur Eliasson, Jeff Koons, Zubin Metha, Daniel Barenboim and Anna Netrebko have co-operated with BMW. The company has also commissioned famous architects such as Karl Schwanzer, Zaha Hadid and Coop Himmelb(l)au to design important corporate buildings and plants. In 2011, the BMW Guggenheim Lab, a global initiative of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, the Guggenheim Museum and the BMW Group celebrated its world premiere in New York. The BMW Group takes absolute creative freedom in all its cultural activities – as this initiative is as essential for producing groundbreaking artistic work as it is for major innovations in a successful business.