After BMW kick-started the art car movement with Alexander Calder’s legendary BMW 3.0 CSL at the 1975 24 Hours of Le Mans, it opened a whole realm of possibility for artists to express themselves on an entirely new canvas. One such artist was German-born Peter Klasen, who became renowned for his involvement in the New Figuration and Narrative Figuration movements, which rejected “Art for art’s sake” and abstraction in favour of story telling through the use of familiar everyday imagery. His work intends to provoke reflection on the impact of modernity on the individual, often utilising compositions comprised of representations of industrial objects with details of the female body.
Since the 1990s, Klasen has used rather exotic metal for his canvases, including two racing Porsches in the form of a 1998 911 GT2 and a 1965 911, two Ferraris, and even a Tesla Model S. This particular 1987 Ferrari 328 GTS was delivered in new to France in April 1986 via Pozzi, before Klasen was commissioned to transform it around 2010 by a French gallery owner with a passion for art cars. Despite being almost 40 years old, this prancing horse currently shows just 120,000 km (with a documented odometer change at 85,000 km) and has benefitted from regular servicing throughout its life. In 2021, the Paris Londres Automobiles garage in Gentilly treated it to a major overhaul, including replacement of the timing belts. However, as it hasn’t been driven since, it will require another service before stealing looks on the open road once more.
Klasen himself describes his Ferrari art car as a “Mobile, efficient, high-performance sculpture in which the most beautiful forms of industrial aesthetics meet those of contemporary art,” and we must remark that he could have hardly chosen a more attractive base for his work. This fabulous Ferrari has been exhibited everywhere from museums and contemporary art galleries, to Le Mans Classic and at Chantilly Art & Elegance by Richard Mille, and now it’s looking for a new residence as it heads to Aguttes’ Tour Auto sale on April 7th. Should your collection be in need of a dramatic centrepiece, look no further!
Paris, 7 Apr
