Ferencz Olivier

Ferencz Olivier at the Mille Miglia 2013

Ferencz Olivier in front of his painting series Racing Legends - Mille Miglia

Ferencz Olivier´s artwork presentation at the Mille Miglia in Brescia´s Fair Hall

At the end of a series of exhibitions of my painting series "Racing Legends - Mille Miglia" I went to Italy last week together with the artworks. There this year´s Mille Miglia took place from 16th to 19th May.

For the legendary road race from Brescia to Rome and back, in which according to its tradition only vehicles are allowed to take part that were at the start during the classical Mille Miglia between 1927 and 1957, more than 400 participants were enrolled – a new record for this traditional race. The first race on March 26th 1927 counted just 77 vehicles.

The day before the start all participants and their vehicles were summoned to the fair hall in Brescia, the Brixia Expo, for a technical check-up and the announcement of the race numbers. In this hall, which is normally only accessible for the drivers, their co-pilots and the race management, I had the opportunity to present two works from my series "Racing Legends - Mille Miglia" next to hundreds of classical roadsters – One cannot imagine a more fitting place for the exhibition.

During the race itself the spectators were not only enthralled by the fascinating vintage cars, but also the not less glamorous celebrities from film, fashion, sports and economy could be marvelled. On the start list names like Hans-Joachim Stuck, Jochen Mass (both racing legends themselves), David Coulthard (Ex Formula-1-driver), Herbert Grönemeyer (Music producer, singer and actor), Daniel Day-Lewis (triple Oscar-winner), David Gandy (British model Dolce & Gabbana), Gina Lollobrigida (actress) und Hannah Herzsprung (actress).

The winners of this year´s Mille Miglia were:
1. Place - Team Tonconogy/Berisso in a Bugatti T40 from 1927
2. Place - Team Mozzi/Gessler in an Alfa Romeo 6C 1500 Gran Sport from 1933
3. Place - Team Moceri/Cavalleri in an Aston Martin Le Mans from 1933
Fittingly, these brands can also be found in my paintings.

For me this event was a fantastic experience and I am especially happy about the interest and admiration dedicated to my work. A successful finish for my series of exhibitions this year.