In 2025, BMW celebrates 50 years of BMW Art Cars. To connect this legacy with the present, former Art Car juror Hans Ulrich Obrist and BMW have invited renowned artist Alvaro Barrington to transform the BMW Hydrogen VIP car fleet into a moving artwork during Art Basel in Basel 2025. This marks the second year in a row that the BMW iX5 Hydrogen fleet has been in operation at the art fair, following last year’s successful debut featuring the artwork of British artist Es Devlin.
BMW has been Official Automotive Partner of Art Basel globally for over two decades, supporting creative voices that shape contemporary culture. Barrington was selected by curator Hans Ulrich Obrist, former member of the BMW Art Car jury, in line with the brand’s heritage of engaging with pioneering artistic perspectives. The resulting work, titled “Simply, 2025”, envelops the BMW iX5 Hydrogen fleet in Barrington’s distinctive visual language.
As a tribute to BMW’s pioneering work in innovative mobility, Barrington has reimagined the fleet of BMW iX5 Hydrogen vehicles with a striking wrap that reflects his signature collage aesthetic. Inspired by figures of cultural reinvention such as David Hockney, Richard Hamilton, Henri Matisse and Tina Turner, Barrington explores how mobility itself is evolving – not just in form, but in its emotional and cultural resonance.
Drawing on in-depth conversations with BMW’s hydrogen engineers, Barrington’s concept bridges technology and humanity. Using a vivid palette and layered forms, his artwork expresses themes of transformation, nature, and technological innovation. The wrap fuses artistic vision with design precision, symbolising a future where mobility is not only sustainable but also emotionally intelligent and culturally integrated.
Alvaro Barrington says: “Driving culture is one of the most important cultures in the world – billions of people participate in it. As an artist who is supposed to be involved in cultural production, it’s really interesting to be a part of this conversation about sustainability and the future of cars that BMW and the rest of the world is having.”
Alvaro Barrington’s practice, rooted in painting but extending into multimedia and textiles, examines how materials carry cultural, political and personal histories. His BMW iX5 Hydrogen collaboration marks a significant moment in this journey, channelling his curiosity about the human-centric potential of technology and dynamic vision into motion through the medium of innovative transport in a joyful way.
Central to the collaboration is the BMW iX5 Hydrogen – a vehicle that showcases the brand’s pioneering role in innovative mobility and technology. As part of BMW’s presence at Art Basel in Basel 2025, the fleet will serve as the VIP car service alongside the fully electric BMW i7, reinforcing BMW’s commitment to contemporary luxury, innovation, and exclusive driving experiences.
“The collaboration with Alvaro Barrington amplifies our pioneering fuel-cell technology through the lens of art,” says Michael Rath, Head of Hydrogen Vehicles, BMW Group. “We are firmly committed to launching our first hydrogen-powered vehicle in 2028.”
First hydrogen-powered BMW production model in 2028.
As part of its holistic approach and after the successful global testing of the pilot fleet of BMW iX5 Hydrogen vehicles, BMW is now preparing to start the series production of vehicles with hydrogen drivetrain in 2028. The series production models will be integrated into BMW’s existing portfolio, i.e. BMW will offer an existing model in an additional hydrogen fuel cell drive system variant. As fuel cell technology is another electric vehicle technology, the BMW Group explicitly views it as complementing the drive technology used by battery electric vehicles (BEV) and next to plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) and internal combustion engines (ICE).
The BMW VIP car service fleet, featuring Barrington’s custom-wrapped BMW iX5 Hydrogen cars, can be seen on the streets of Basel during the fair, from 19 to 22 June 2025. The project affirms BMW’s position at the intersection of contemporary luxury, innovation, joy and artistic expression.
Earlier this year, as part of the BMW Art Car World Tour, BMW presented another artist-designed vehicle during the Market Art Fair in Stockholm. German artist Gregor Hildebrandt wrapped a fleet of fully electric BMW i5 and i7 models with his distinctive visual language, turning them into mobile artworks on the streets of the Swedish capital. Further artist collaborations and custom vehicle wraps are set to follow throughout the global tour.
