Andy Warhol's BMW M1 Art Car vandalized by activists

In line with environmental demonstrators dousing works of art in museums with soup to, according to them, warn of climate collapse, activists from “Ultima Generazione (Last Generation) attacked the BMW M1 Procar drawn by Andy Warhol this Friday, November 18 at the Fabbrica Del Vapore in Milan (Italy):

Turned by Andy Warhol to the artist's head when it was worn by the 1 BMW M1979, in Milan Italy pic.twitter.com/Iz5rZidSXa

— productoresUY (@productoresUY) November 18, 2022

No less than eight kilos of flour covered the German car, before two individuals stuck their hands to the ground, under the gaze of stunned visitors. A woman was dislodged by a museum guard.

According to the Italian newspaper The Republic, the art gallery has been forced to close and police are working to identify the activists behind the action.

Stefano Lacagnina, the head of the exhibition dedicated to pop art master Andy Warhol, told the newspaper that the demonstrators “had paid their entry and had the bags of flour in their pockets. They completely dusted the car with flour. It is an important piece, which was exhibited for the first time in the exhibition and has great value.

Police officers identified those responsible and took them to police headquarters, after which the exhibition reopened. We are cleaning, and for the moment we are not touching the machine. We are waiting for BMW technicians to arrive from Germany. »

Climate activists flung flour over a BMW M1 car painted in 1979 by pop artist Andy Warhol that was on display at the Fabbrica del Vapore exhibition center in Milan on November 18 pic.twitter.com/fXBa6STxPG

- TRT World (@trtworld) November 18, 2022

This BMW M1 “Art Car” took part in the 24 Hours of Le Mans 1979 in the hands of Manfred Winkelhock, Marcel Mignot and the gentleman driver and auctioneer Hervé Poulain.

This attack could have unfortunate consequences on the desire of manufacturers to remove extremely rare automobile parts like this BMW M1 Procar from their collections. Its value would in fact be estimated at around 10 million dollars.

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