Italian Supercar Marque Ares Partners With Artist Hubert Phipps For Art Basel Miami

Hubert G. Phipps is fond of motor racing. From 1979 to 1985, the American sculptor and painter triumphed in competitions, winning the SCCA Formula Atlantic National championship and twice the Formula Atlantic Professional series at Willow Springs. Phipps is also a keen pilot, getting his license at 16 and is often spotted flying his Airbus Helicopter H-120 from his Virginia studio to Florida.

Now the artist has partnered with the niche Italian supercar maker Ares on an exhibition to coincide with Art Basel Miami. “Hubert Phipps: Ascending” (starting this December through to 31 January 2022) features several works born out of the artist’s love for acceleration and for aerodynamic forms. The event will also mark Ares physically entering the US market with its new showroom in the Miami Design District where the company plans to showcase its latest S1 supercar.

“We chose these bold sculptures and artworks by Hubert Phipps to debut our first US showroom and to surround the Ares S1 for its premiere here,” explains Mo Elarishy, head of business development at Ares Miami, “because when experienced together they create a powerful fusion that supercharges the imagination.”

Born in 1957, Phipps comes from a family of aviators and adventurers. One of the most colorful stories comes curtesy of his ancestor Amy Phipps Guest who was one of the world’s first women aviation enthusiasts in the 1920s. She allegedly discovered Amelia Earhart and sponsored her first successful transoceanic flight in 1928. His monumental sculpture “Rocket” possibly best expresses his passion for motion and flight. At 30-foot, it also happens to be one of the largest outdoor sculptures in the history of public art initiatives in Palm Beach County.

Ares was co-founded in 2015 by the former Lotus boss Dany Bahar. Headquartered in Modena — the Italian city known for its love of fast cars and slow food, being the home of Ferrari, Maserati, Lamborghini, Pagani and the star chef Massimo Bottura’s Michelin-star Osteria Francescana among many culinary delights — the company crafts bespoke cars respecting the Italian coachbuilding tradition while utilizing advanced technologies. Elarishy says: “The tradition of coachbuilding is a form of artmaking going back 100 years, hand-crafting limited production vehicles for discerning customers.”

The new Miami showroom is the work of the internal team at Ares Centro Stile who were inspired by minimalist contemporary art spaces. Here the carmaker will showcase its latest S1 for the first time in the US. The supercar is powered by a naturally aspirated V8; the body is hand-crafted in carbon fiber while the dramatic low-profile salutes racing prototypes from the 1970s and 80s. Only 24 S1s are planned with each tailored to the client’s specification. 

“Ares is one of the world’s leading studios of high-performance design and stellar engineering is igniting new inspirations in my artmaking,” says Phipps.

“Hubert Phipps: Ascending” will feature some of his most recognized abstract sculptures and paint pigment drawings to include a maquette-sized version of “Rocket” from the private collection of real estate magnate Lawrence Moens. The show will also be peppered with special events during January involving some of the artist’s racing colleagues from his time as a professional driver. Elarishy says: “His racing background and his passion for automobiles shine through in the kinetic energy of his sculptures.”

Watch the aerial video of the Rocket sculpture by Hubert Phipps:

Read about some other recent art/car collaborations including the BMW Art Residency at Paris Photo and Frieze Art London