BMW and Jeff Koons Raise $475,000 for the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children via Charity Auction of Final THE 8 X JEFF KOONS Limited Edition

April 5, 2022 by BMW

• The final model to be produced of THE 8 X JEFF KOONS – one of 99 limited edition BMW 8 Series Gran Coupes designed by Jeff Koons – was auctioned by Christie's in New York on April 4, 2022.

•All proceeds benefit the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children, which fights to prevent child trafficking globally.

BMW, Jeff Koons and The International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC) today announced a successful charity auction of THE 8 X JEFF KOONS, during which the last of the 99 limited edition models sold for $475,000 last night. Based on the BMW M850i xDrive Gran Coupe, the final model of THE 8 X JEFF KOONS is also the only one to have been hand-signed by the legendary artist.

All proceeds from the auction benefit ICMEC, which Jeff Koons has personally supported for over two decades. The auction, led by Christie's deputy chairman and auctioneer Tash Perrin, was hosted at Christie's iconic Rockefeller Center auction house in New York City and facilitated by Event.Gives.

'BMW is proud to support the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children through our collaboration with Jeff Koons and the auction of this special edition vehicle, THE 8 X JEFF KOONS,' said Sebastian Mackensen, president and CEO, BMW of North America. 'Acting with responsibility is an important quality of our company, so it is especially gratifying to know that the proceeds from this auction will support children in need.'

'From the choice of colors to its overall look and use of material, THE 8 X JEFF KOONS has a superhero feel to it. Giving to ICMEC and literally saving the lives of children is a superhero endeavor, now more than ever,' said Jeff Koons. 'I am thrilled that the auction of the car was such a great success! It should encourage anyone to get involved and appreciate the great work foundations are doing globally to make the world a better place.'

'We at ICMEC are so grateful for the generosity of the winning bidder, BMW, and especially Jeff Koons, whose partnership and support is instrumental in our efforts to help make the world safer for children,' says Bob Cunningham, ICMEC CEO. 'The funds raised from this collaboration will help ICMEC respond to the critical challenges children face from the pandemic and forced migration. This generous contribution will help us to develop better technologies to locate and identify missing kids, including children who are lost, abducted, or trafficked in conflict areas, and to advocate for policies, laws, and interventions that better address issues like the proliferation of child sexual abuse material, online grooming, and live streaming that have emerged as even greater threats to children during the pandemic.'

'It is truly an honor for us to partner with the BMW Group and Jeff Koons in the live charity auction of THE 8 X JEFF KOONS,' said Bonnie Brennan, president of Christie's Americas. 'At Christie's, we believe in the power of art and design to change lives and are very proud to raise funds to support the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children, which has improved the lives of countless children around the world for the better.'

About THE 8 X JEFF KOONS

THE 8 X JEFF KOONS represents one of the most extensive custom factory production processes ever undertaken by BMW, and its unique exterior and interior liveries are authentic artistic creations by Jeff Koons himself. The vehicle's exterior features expressive and striking graphic design, combining eleven different exterior colors. Koons incorporated many shades of blue in particular, resembling the vastness of space, tying into the fact that the BMW 8 Series is a globally available product – a key theme of Koons' work being without borders.

The exploding lines of color at the rear are an homage to the artist's 2010 BMW Art Car, an E92 M3 GT2 that was raced at the 24 Hours of Le Mans; the 'POP!' on each side and 'vapor thrust' imagery symbolize the vehicle's power and speed. The multi-colored interior is comprised of high-end materials, fine leather and a cupholder lid with special 'THE 8 X JEFF KOONS' badging paired with Koons' iconic signature. The seats are made up of striking red and blue hues, evoking not only BMW's high-performance M division but also the world of superheroes and comic books, a key inspiration in the theme of power that Koons brought to life in the special edition's design.

The paint process of THE 8 x JEFF KOONS requires 11 different stages and several hundred hours per vehicle to complete. The exterior livery and interior colorways are completely exclusive to the special edition and were developed by Koons himself and BMW's design and engineering teams through several collaborative visits to BMW's world headquarters by the artist over several months. Two cars will be produced per week by specialized teams at BMW Group Plant Dingolfing and BMW Group Plant Landshut, both located in Bavaria, Germany. Each finished vehicle comes with a large-format certificate of authenticity containing its unique vehicle identification number (VIN), personally signed by Jeff Koons and BMW Chairman and CEO Oliver Zipse. The total production run of THE 8 X JEFF KOONS is strictly limited to 99 models worldwide.

Photo credit: BMW
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