First Look at the LaCross Art Car
Artwork by Matt LaCross. Writing and renderings by Riley Koidahl.
Seattle-native Matt LaCross has been creating continuous-line ink drawings more than twenty years. His masterpieces are composed from a single thought, with one consistent flow of ink and no preliminary sketches. Once the pen meets paper, it's not lifted until the piece is complete. For this reason, each art piece is unique and reflects the environment and emotions experienced by the artist at the time of conception.
Over a decade ago LaCross founded the Black Box Gallery, the only "No Fee, No Commission" art gallery in Seattle. Not only is he dedicated to honing his own craft, but his philanthropic actions have encouraged and inspired many others to do the same.
Action sports and motorsports have been embedded in LaCross's entire life, and his work reflects this. Decades of BMX, snowboarding, skateboarding and in-line skating have forged his style, and paired with his automotive career, his work is exceptionally unique. LaCross founded Munich Evolution, the first ever BMW Motorsport-specific dealership in the United States and later became the Northwest brand ambassador for Ferrari; his deeply-rooted automotive passion is apparent.
Being an avid BMW enthusiast and lifelong artist, LaCross had been kicking around the idea of an "art car" for a while. The BMW Art Car project began in 1975, with Alexander Calder painting a 3.0CSL, which raced at Le Mans later that year. Since then, 17 official art cars have been commissioned by significant international artists, such as Andy Warhol, David Hockney, and Roy Lichtenstein, to name a few.
As soon as he mentioned the idea, I knew it would be something special, and I was on board. The M4 GTS, BMW's modern-day pièce de résistance, was a no-brainer for a contemporary art car platform. White paint resembles a blank canvas, and with black lines acting as the ink from his pen, LaCross's unique, continuous-line characteristics are retained.
The specific art piece was chosen to compliment the sharp lines of the M4, and while only a rendering currently, the LaCross art car is absolutely breathtaking.