What defines an extraordinary artist and a masterpiece he brings to life? In the era belonging to the young and bold, accomplishing something that is both innovative and awe-inspiring is no easy task. For an artist there are his colours and his canvas, and well the skill and creativity to make his art a true masterpiece. However, though artist are well versed in the types of colours at their disposal, what can be done about the canvas? Street artists, for example, can envision their art anywhere, thereby opening the door to infinite number of possibilities for the so-called ‘canvas’. But let’s take a young and talented artist teeming with an unlimited level of creativity with a canvas that is already irrefutably deserving the title of masterpiece? There is no need to wait in order to find out because famed American street artist Skyler Grey has revealed the answer to this question during renowned Monterey Car Week at a private party in a stunning villa overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
Automobili Lamborghini provided the perfect canvas, which is widely regarded as a work of art in of itself: the Aventador S. What soon took place is plain to see as a one of a kind Lamborghini was born originating from a fusion between the beauty of automobiles and the empowering yet expressive street art of Skyler Grey. One one side sits a dynamic silhouette defined by taut lines, three-dimensional volumes, geometric components and advanced technology application; while the other side stands a man who has been referred to as the “Fresh Prince of Street Art” at the young age of 19. The one off Aventador S was officially unveiled at The Lamborghini Lounge on thursday in a villa resting at the 18th hole of Pebble Beach Golf Course in Monterey.
American Pop Artist, Skyler Grey states right before the big unveiling: “When we were making this car, Lamborghini thrives off of making the most perfect car. Skyler Grey, the artist that you are seeing now, I thought about the imperfections of my painting. So, when I was thinking about how I would make the car, I was sitting and thinking how are we going to make the most perfect imperfect car. And when I went to Sant’Agata and I [headed] to the new paint shop, I looked at my team, which is like my family – I love those people down there. And that’s exactly what we did, we made the most perfect imperfect car.”
Skyler Grey, one of the youngest and highest influencial figures in the art world, transformed the Lamborghini Aventador S, a car which is the epitome of perfection, into something completely new: Grey likes to call this latest piece perfectly imperfect. Making a work of art that is already perfect, then taking it and adding the transcendent style of Skyler Grey into the picture resulted in a transformation that brims with originality reflecting the personification of the artist and the superlative nature that is Lamborghini.
Katia Bassi, Chief Marketing & Communication Officer of Automobili Lamborghini, commented: “Because of the affinity we feel with the world of art, we wanted to experiment with a new creative approach, entrusting Skyler Grey with the interpretation of a car that is already itself a work of art. It is a project connected with our new paint shop in Sant’Agata Bolognese, a place where technology and art meet and where our specialists are tasked with turning our customers’ dreams into reality, in the search for aesthetic perfection.”
With an exceptional iconographic pop art style of painting that has been closely related to legendary artists such as Andy Warhol, Keith Haring, and Jean-Michel Basquiat; Grey has undoubtedly lived up to such great names in the art community with his latest work. Being the youngest artist to have his pieces showcased in museums and art fairs across the globe, not to mention his name in the 2017 Forbes “30 under 30” list of the most influential artists worldwide, the rising star’s creativeness knows no bounds.
“If I had to have my own personal Lamborghini,” says Skyler Green. “I just thought what is more bold and more innovative than most colors. You know when you see the entertainment side of one of my painting series, in which I took success and bottled up that success and I took what Lamborghini was and I bottled up what Lamborghini was. Then I took the bull and interpreted it in my own personal way [as] you see the bull is hopping out of the can.”
When the car was delivered to the artist, it came painted in the new Lamborghini paint shop that was recently opened in Sant’Agata Bolognese. Roughly a year long creative process took place, not including an additional three weeks in the paint shop, which was handled by partnering up with an interfunctional team highly capable technologists and experts in paints, logistics assembly and quality as they worked throughout the feasibility phase and right down to the production process. Undeterred by the high level of intricate tasks need for its completion, the artist along with the assistance of the team has developed the first ever four wheeled street-legal work of art.
Utilizing a range of principal techniques for street art, Grey applied airbrushes, spray guns, rollers and stencils in order to characterize the vehicle in his personal pop art colours of orange and yellow. Grey chose the use of orange, Arancio Atlas (orange), as the base colour for which he expresses his vision of what is translated by the Lamborghini trademark. Yellow, dark orange and white colours make the exterior pop in unusual brushstrokes with splashes of colour and paint dripped atop the surface area via the drip painting technique. These three colours scatter and conjoin to create depictions of bulls rampaging across the side of the body having been released from air intakes in a race from the famous Campbell’s soup can that is a reference to Warhol’s “32 Campbell’s Soup Cans”.
Like any great work of art, the artwork isn’t finished until the artist signs his name at the bottom of the canvas, and Skyler Grey’s signature prominently appears on the bodywork with a lightning bolt above it, which guarantees the authenticity of the work. The interiors, which are in a Nero Ade (black) leather alongside conflicting orange stitching, are stylized on the rear panel with an embellished image of an animated bull located right in between blots of colour paint accompanied by a splash effect. The artist’s vigorous design of the bull was handed over to the artistic embroidery skills of Lamborghini’s upholstery specialists.
This all-new Aventador S by Skyler Grey, having already been purchased by an art collector, will be the first Lamborghini to be certified through contemporary blockchain technology. Furthermore, the car belongs to the pilot project “Lamborghini Sicura”, having been launched in concert with Salesforce and focuses on preserving the car as a work of art. To make this possible a process of verifying the authenticity certification is needed, which also requires Salesforce Blockchain technology so as to ensure data security and incorruptibility. This type of protection system is used to block and shut off any possibility of counterfeiting as the system traces and certifies all the information regarding the model whilst boosting the value for all stakeholders.
The private villa is modelled to reflect that of an art collector and Lamborghini fan’s home where guests are welcomed into a world of Lamborghini art and design merge to create a sanctuary for art and automotive enthusiasts. The space is the culmination of various forms of art and was designed with one motto in mind “Created to Inspire”.
Lamborghini’s newest models were on display throughout the party with interactive spaces that take guests through the creative process of their design and to their personalization, within a warm, inviting and informal ambience. Amongst the lively artists in attendance at the lounge, aside from Skyler Grey alongside the Lamborghini he has individualized and some of his most memorable artwork, Italian artist Alfredo Sannoner, who’s a master calligrapher with his italic art and pursuit of both elegance and precision in writing, also made an appearance.
