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Andy Warhol's "Cars" Series Exhibition Featuring Mercedes-Benz Returns to the States

The duly named exhibition, "Andy Warhol: Cars- Works from the Mercedes-Benz Art Collection" will take place at the Petersen Automotive Museum (one of the largest automotive museums in the world) in Los Angeles, California.
Andy Warhol 6 photos
Photo: Mercedes
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The Mercedes-Benz Art Collection features 27 screen prints on canvas and 13 drawings from Andy Warhol's world-famous Cars series. The series depicts eight Mercedes-Benz models that the enigmatic American pop culture artist used to document the history of the automobile from the Benz Patent Motor Car of 1886 to the C 111-II research car constructed in 1970.

The are displayed together with five of the eight vehicles portrayed by Warhol – including the Mercedes-Benz Formula One racing car W 196 R with streamlined body, the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL “Gullwing” Coupé (W 198) and the Mercedes-Benz 750-kilogram formula racing car W 125.

The relationship between Mercedes and Warhol may seem odd, but it was quite legendary. The works on display were part of a larger plan to create 80 pictures of 20 models, however, only 36 screen prints and 13 drawings could be completed. Warhol created the series in the latter part of 1986 and early 1987 on behalf of the then Daimler-Benz AG to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the automobile ,before his death in February 1987. A total of 30 screen prints and the drawings from the series are part of the Mercedes-Benz Art Collection.

The Cars series saw Warhol devote his work to a European industrial product for the first time. Warhol simultaneously shows the changeability and the historical character of a product, with the eight vehicle models portrayed.

Warhol became famous in the '60s with “Coca-Cola Bottles” and “Campbell's Soup Cans” and in the '80s, works included American brands Heinz and Del Monte.

His depictions of the brand legend of German automotive history would be his final coherent groups of works.
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