There are fanatics who would gaze at a Jaguar and remember the curve of a Modigliani nude. There have been maniacal artists who scampered with a paintbrush around BMWs and turned precious cars into racing canvases. A very different kind of art-automobile relationship is happening in Delhi: here car showrooms are turning into glitzy, atypical spaces for exhibitions.

When Ridhi Bhalla of Nitanjali art gallery opened a show “Rising Stars” at the BMW showroom at Connaught Place, it turned out to be smashing social event drawing a gaggle of fashionistas and the denizens of Delhi’s art world. The exhibition offered a mix of works —paintings and drawings hung on panels — next to BMW toy car models. The show was a success for young artists Puja Bhari and Subhra Das who even painted to the appreciative nods of designer Reynu Tandon and socialite Esha Rajpal. Bhalla, who managed to sell 10 works on the opening night, says, “At shows like these, one taps into high net worth individuals.” She’s gearing up for her next show at the BMW showroom in Gurgaon in the last week of October with artists Suhas Roy and Seema Kohli. “The space is considerably large. The showroom is around 4,000 sq ft, ideal for large canvases,” says Bhalla.

BMW, for its part has been associated with art for a decade. The trend is in keeping with BMW art car, wherein a prominent artist is given a car to paint. In 2007, two models were brought to the Jehangir art gallery, one of the models on display was painted by Andy Warhol. “It’s a part of initiating a dialogue with the customer and are is one platform. That way, one also strengthens the relationship with the customer,” says Abhay Dange, General manager, Press and Corporate Affairs, BMW.

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