A man was killed on Wednesday on Washington, D.C.’s National Mall while unloading a 1979 BMW Art Car that was custom-painted by Andy Warhol. The local ABC affiliate WJLA reported that the unidentified man was pinned under the vehicle when a winch securing it on a flatbed truck failed. Despite efforts to save him, he was pronounced dead at the scene.
The sports car was set to be featured in a pop-up exhibition titled “Cars at the Capital,” slated to take place from September 17 to 23 in temporary pavilions put up on the National Mall between the United States Department of Agriculture Building and Smithsonian National Museum of American History.
Hagerty Drivers Foundation, the non-profit branch of the auto-insurance giant Hagerty and the show’s organizer, has cancelled the exhibition as a result of the tragedy.
“On Wednesday afternoon, there was a tragic accident in Washington, D.C., during which a truck driver died while unloading a car,” a spokesperson for the foundation told online newspaper Jalopnik. “Our sincere and heartfelt condolences go out to the individual’s family. Out of respect for the deceased, we will not comment further at this time and have cancelled the events planned for 18-23 September.”
The car that crushed the man was painted by Warhol as part of BMW’s Art Car program in 1979. It participated in the 24 Hours of Le Mans race in France the same year and was recently added to the US National Historic Vehicle Register. Painted in bold tones of red, blue, yellow, and green, it was the fourth BMW to be customised by Warhol under Art Car program, which also featured artists Frank Stella, Roy Lichtenstein, and Alexander Calder.
“Our sincere and heartfelt condolences go out to the individual’s family. Out of respect for the deceased, we will not comment further at this time,” a BMW spokesperson told Jalopnik.
