Rolls-Royce has long been associated with some of the most high-profile names in the art world. Many leading artists and significant patrons owned and travelled in Rolls-Royce motor cars; in the modern era, the marque has collaborated with influential figures in the contemporary milieu to create Bespoke motor cars that stand as works of art in their own right. This review celebrates some of the notable artists for whom Rolls-Royce has become part of their legacy and legend, and the wider connections between Rolls-Royce and the art world that have brought so many great practitioners to the brand over the years.

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Andrew Ball
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars

Rolls-Royce has long been associated with some of the most high-profile names in the art world. Many leading artists and significant patrons owned and travelled in Rolls-Royce motor cars; in the modern era, the marque has collaborated with influential figures in the contemporary milieu to create Bespoke motor cars that stand as works of art in their own right.

This review celebrates some of the notable artists for whom Rolls-Royce has become part of their legacy and legend, and the wider connections between Rolls-Royce and the art world that have brought so many great practitioners to the brand over the years.

A BRAND BORN FROM ART

Born in 1875, Charles Robinson Sykes won a scholarship to the Royal College of Art, where he studied drawing, painting and sculpture. Sykes, who enjoyed a long, varied and successful career as a commercial artist, was hired by The Hon. John Montagu in 1902 to provide the illustrated elements of The Car Illustrated magazine, one of the first to print images in full colour.

Sykes’s work soon caught the attention of Claude Johnson, the first commercial managing director of Rolls-Royce. When Johnson decided Rolls-Royce needed an official mascot, he commissioned Sykes to create one, instructing him to make it look like the imposing Greek statue Nike of Samothrace in The Louvre in Paris. Sykes, however, believed a more ethereal figure would better express his own experience of travelling in Montagu’s Rolls-Royce. He created a delicate figurine now globally known and revered as The Spirit of Ecstasy, which continues to grace every Rolls-Royce motor car to this day.

ART IN MOTION

In the early days, Rolls-Royce supplied motor cars as rolling chassis, on which the owner commissioned bodywork from their chosen specialist independent coachbuilder. Many owners took full advantage of this opportunity for personal expression, creating motor cars that stand as works of art in their own right.

1925 Phantom I – Chassis 94MC

This motor car is based on a 1925 Phantom I chassis, bought new by Mrs Hugh Dillman of Detroit. Unhappy with the cabriolet body built by Hooper & Co in London, Mrs Dillman never took delivery, and the car was sold on to the Raja of Nanpara.

In 1934, a new owner sent the chassis to coachbuilders Jonckheere in Belgium. They gave it a completely new body defined by the large round doors, which allow passengers into either row of seating. Each door features a two-piece window that splits like a pair of scissors down into the door. The design also includes a sloping radiator grille covering the perpendicular original, double side-by-side sunroofs, round spats that cover almost the entire rear wheel, and a side-opening louvered luggage compartment. Bullet-shaped headlights, flowing wings and a long vertical tailfin down the luggage compartment lid finish off the sleek contours of what became known as The Jonckheere Coupé.

The motor car was later acquired by a Mr Max Obie, who painted it gold and charged visitors $1 to view it. In 1991, it was sold to a Japanese collector, then sat largely forgotten until 2001 when it was acquired by its present owners, the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, CA. Now fully restored, the ‘Round Door Rolls-Royce’ has taken top honours at both Pebble Beach and Meadowbrook Concours d'Elegance.

1927 Phantom I – Chassis 76TC

Among the most famous and extravagant examples was a Phantom I commissioned in 1927 by Clarence Gasque as a gift for his heiress wife, Maude. Known as 'The Phantom of Love', it was both a glorious monument to his devotion, and a spectacular indulgence of Maude’s passion for 18th Century French history and design.

With an effectively unlimited budget, coachbuilders Charles Clark & Sons produced an interior worthy of Versailles. Details included a bespoke Aubusson tapestry on the rear seats, a hand-painted ceiling with gilded cornices, and a bow-fronted drinks cabinet based on a Louis XIV chiffonier, topped with an ormolu clock and a pair of French porcelain vases filled with gilded metal and enamel flowers. Cupboards at either end held concealed, fold-down, inward-facing occasional seats also upholstered in Aubusson tapestry. A century later, it remains one of the finest examples of automotive art and craftsmanship ever created; it was displayed at the Goodwood Revival as part of the marque’s 100 Years of Phantom celebrations in 2025.

1937 Rolls-Royce Phantom III – Chassis 3CP38

Originally built in 1937 as a six-passenger limousine with occasional seats, this Phantom III was re-bodied in 1946 as a Sedanca de Ville by coachbuilders Freestone & Webb for Sir John Gaul, a colourful and eccentric property developer with a penchant for spectacular cars. To complement its striking Chianti Red paintwork and sham-cane rear doors, the front and rear wings, together with all the brightwork, were finished in copper, earning the motor its nickname, ‘The Copper Kettle’. The sumptuous interior featured comforts including an electrically operated division window, folding tables, a heater, radio, bar and clock in the rear compartment.

In 1954, Gaul sold the car to a Mr L Zimbler in the UK: it then spent time in South Africa and the Netherlands before returning to London in 1964, where it went on sale, fully restored and with 56,000 miles on the clock. By 1966 it had found its way to the USA, eventually entering the Blackhawk Collection in Danville, CA, where it remains among the most popular exhibits. In 2008, the motor car took both First in Class in the Rolls-Royce Pre-War Class and the Lucius Beebe Trophy at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance; it returned to the event in 2017.

1946 Silver Wraith – Chassis WTA45

This motor car was also owned by Sir John Gaul. He initially sent the chassis to Freestone & Webb, creators of his ‘Copper Kettle’, but changed his mind and commissioned Coupe de Ville bodywork from his other favourite coachbuilder, Carrosserie Saoutchik of Paris. It was the first Rolls-Royce to be bodied by a coachbuilder outside the UK after the Second World War, and the only example Saoutchik ever built on a Rolls-Royce chassis.

In typically flamboyant Saoutchik style, the motor car features sweeping curves and reversed elements, sham-canework, carriage-style door handles and faux landau irons. The interior is pure Art Deco in contrasting colours. The motor car was awarded Best of Show at the Monte Carlo Concours in 1948; over 60 years later, following a complete rebuild, it took a Best in Class at the 2010 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. Today, the Coupe de Ville roof, which was welded shut during the motor car’s middle years, has been restored to its original configuration.

THE HOME OF GREAT ART

The team at the Home of Rolls-Royce at Goodwood includes its own world-class artisans, who produce one-off pieces for client commissions and Bespoke Collection projects.

In 2023, Rolls-Royce unveiled Phantom Syntopia, a singular Bespoke commission developed over four years in collaboration with Dutch fashion designer and Haute Couturière Iris van Herpen. Inspired by her ‘Weaving Water’ concept and the principles of biomimicry, the motor car translates the fluidity and movement of natural forms into both its iridescent ‘Liquid Noir’ exterior and a highly sculptural interior featuring three-dimensional textiles, the most intricate Starlight Headliner in Rolls-Royce history, and a unique Gallery artwork. As the first Rolls-Royce to incorporate a tailored fragrance, it delivered a fully immersive, multi-sensory experience, pushing the boundaries of craftsmanship, innovation and personalisation.

Two years later, Rolls-Royce presented three Bespoke motor cars inspired by the ancient mural paintings of Dunhuang in China, which date back over 1,000 years. Commissioned through Private Office Shanghai, the centrepiece of the interior is a hand-painted Bespoke Gallery artwork. The composition presents a landscape painting on black leather, completed with the Silken Spirit motif embroidered in white and black thread, evoking the movement of flying apsaras – celestial beings in Buddhist culture – which are prominently portrayed in the ancient murals.

Rolls-Royce has also exhibited at the prestigious London Craft Week; founded in 2015, this city-wide festival celebrates exceptional craftsmanship across multiple sectors and disciplines. A curated programme shines a light on the creative talent behind some of the world’s most beautiful objects, telling stories of their inspiration, process and materials. Today, it features over 1,000 makers from more than 30 countries.

In 2025, Rolls-Royce presented an exquisite artwork inspired by the rich flora and fauna of the British Isles. A collaboration between makers from the Interior Surface Centre, the Exterior Surface Centre and the Interior Trim Centre, the triptych captures the essence of woodland life at three moments over a 24-hour period.

For London Craft Week 2026, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars unveiled four new craft techniques inspired by historical craftsmanship: 3D leather hand-sculpting, 3D metal hand-sculpting, 3D veneers and beadwork application. These innovations were presented in two works built at the scale of a Phantom Gallery.

ART FOR A CAUSE

Phantom VIII provided the canvas for a one-of-one work by artist Marc Quinn, offered as the headline lot in an auction at the marque’s ‘Dine on the Line’ charity event in 2019. Quinn created a bespoke artwork featuring the iris of the winning bidder’s daughter, inspired by his series of paintings, We Share Our Chemistry with the Stars.

In 2022, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Greater China worked with Spanish artist Javier Calleja to produce a series of 1:8 scale models of Ghost featuring abstract representations of a child’s portrait. One of the pieces was auctioned to raise funds for a charity foundation supporting mental health and well-being initiatives.

Some years earlier, Rolls-Royce had commissioned 12 leading artists, including Gavin Turk, Charming Baker, Stuart Semple, Richard Wentworth, Mark Wallinger, Sam Taylor-Johnson, Maggi Hambling, Yinka Shonibare and Natasha Law to create unique artworks based on miniatures of Ghost to raise funds for a breast cancer charity.

THE PHANTOM GALLERY: A NEW CANVAS

With the introduction of Phantom VIII, Rolls-Royce reimagined the motor car interior as a space for artistic expression. At its heart is the Phantom Gallery: a full-width, glass-enclosed fascia that spans the dashboard, designed to house commissioned artworks. Seamlessly integrated and permanently displayed, it transforms Phantom into a curated exhibition space.

The Gallery marked a significant evolution in the marque’s relationship with the art world; where Rolls‑Royce motor cars have long inspired artists, the Gallery provided a new platform for art itself. Clients collaborate with leading artists, designers and the marque’s own artisans at the Home of Rolls‑Royce to create entirely bespoke works, making each Phantom a rolling gallery unique to its owner.

Notable recent commissions demonstrate the breadth of possibility. The Phantom Centenary Private Collection contains a special Anthology Gallery, the dramatic composition of which features 50 3D-printed, vertically brushed aluminium ‘fins’ interlaced like pages of a book. Each fin is composed of sculpted letters that can be read from both sides, forming quotes drawn from a century of press acclaim.

Phantom Oribe was developed in collaboration with Hermès; for its Gallery, Hermès commissioned an artwork based on a design by the celebrated French artist and illustrator Pierre Péron (1905–1988) who created many of the House's iconic scarves. The work, inspired by the famous Hermès horse motif, is hand-painted on Open Pore Royal Walnut and is presented as though staged in an art gallery, behind glass.

In the Koa Phantom, the Gallery incorporates rare, open-pore Hawaiian Koa wood, selected and bookmatched to create a serene, landscape-like composition, underscoring the client’s personal connection to place and nature.

Through the Phantom Gallery, Rolls-Royce has defined a new typology within the art world: a private, mobile exhibition space, experienced not in a public gallery, but in moments of quiet reflection. It is a contemporary expression of the marque’s enduring dialogue with artists and patrons alike – and a powerful articulation of Phantom’s position not only as a motor car, but as a work of art in its own right.

AN ENDURING CONNECTION

Since its earliest days, Rolls-Royce has so often been the mode of transport chosen by the world’s most influential figures – and the art world is no different. From master artists to the world’s most notable collectors, it is no surprise that such influential figures would travel in this fashion, with Rolls-Royce offering a luxury experience that is akin to viewing the exquisite pieces of art these individuals became known for.

A Place of Sanctuary

In 1947, aged 77, Henri Matisse embarked on what he regarded as his masterpiece: not a painting, but a chapel for the Dominican convent in Vence, a small town near Nice. Matisse eventually spent more than four years working on the Chapelle du Rosaire (Chapel of the Rosary) designing its architecture, stained-glass windows, interior murals and ceramics, liturgical furnishings and even the priests’ vestments. Throughout the construction work, he made constant trips up the hill from his studios in the upper-class Nice suburb of Cimiez to the site –now often known simply as the Matisse Chapel – in a Rolls-Royce.

An Unforgettable Scene

Anyone rejoicing in the title Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech, Marquess of Dalí of Púbol, is always likely to attract attention. But the Spanish artist better known by his abbreviated name, Salvador Dalí, nevertheless went out of his way to occupy the limelight. Having shocked the art world with his surrealist images of nightmarish landscapes, chimeric animals, suggestive food and melting clocks, he was eager to bring his unique brand of excess and eccentricity to a wider audience.

In 1955, he was asked to give a lecture at the Sorbonne in Paris. Seeing a golden opportunity to create a moment in modern art, Dalí borrowed a friend’s white Phantom and filled it with 500kg (1,100lb) of cauliflowers.

After a wild ride through the streets of Paris in his brassica-laden conveyance, Dalí pulled up outside the august university and flung open the Phantom’s doors, sending the cauliflowers cascading to the ground. How many now remember his exposition on ‘Phenomenological Aspects of the Paranoiac Critical Method’ is debatable, but in the public consciousness, Dalí had well and truly arrived.

Famous for More than 15 Minutes

Dalí spent every autumn and winter in New York City, where he based himself in a suite at the St Regis Hotel in Manhattan. It was here, in 1965, that he first met a young visual artist named Andy Warhol. This seminal moment in art was captured by British photographer David McCabe, who later recalled: ‘Dalí turned the whole event into theatre. Andy was petrified.’

Warhol was Dalí’s natural successor and became one of the most influential artists of the 20th century. Unlike his mentor, however, he actually owned a Phantom: a 1937 model that had been converted into a shooting brake around 1947. In 1972, Warhol and his Swiss agent, Bruno Bischofberger, happened to pass an antique shop in Zurich where it was on sale. Warhol bought it on the spot and shipped it to New York. He owned the car until 1978, when he sold it to his friend and manager, Fred Hughes.

Power and Patronage

Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller (1908-1979) served as Vice President of the United States under President Gerald Ford; he was also Governor of New York from 1959 to 1973. Arguably, his more enduring legacy was as a leading patron of the arts: Alfred Barr, founding director of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) observed that ‘Nelson needs art more than any man I know’.

Rockefeller was also a passionate car collector and owned a number of Rolls-Royce motor cars during his lifetime. One notable example is his 1929 Phantom I, manufactured at Rolls-Royce’s former US plant in Springfield, Massachusetts, with coachwork by in-house coachbuilder Brewster. It is one of only 10 ever produced with the Brougham de Ville’s ‘Riviera Town Car’ body style, and the only one to be decorated in pure gold. Its most arresting feature is the passenger cabin set at the extreme rear of the chassis, accentuating its extended wheelbase. Rockefeller’s name can still be seen on the gold-varnished wicker on the rear. He also owned a 1936 25/30H.P. Sedanca Coupé, with distinctive maroon and black coachwork by Gurney Nutting.

Rockefeller took delivery of his 1966 Phantom V, one of just three Sedanca de Ville motor cars produced by coachbuilders James Young and refinished to his order in Black over Primrose Yellow, a few days before being sworn in as Vice President of the United States in 1974.

On the Beaton Track

Sir Cecil Walter Hardy Beaton CBE (1904-1980) was an artistic polymath; though best known as a fashion, portrait and war photographer, he won three Academy Awards and four Tony Awards as a costume and set designer for screen and stage, and was also a noted diarist, painter and interior designer. An artist-patron of extraordinary reach and depth, he photographed Queen Elizabeth II and dressed Audrey Hepburn as Eliza Dolittle in My Fair Lady.

Beaton used a 1946 Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith, driven by a chauffeur, to convey him from the whirl of London high society to the peace of his country home at Reddish House in Wiltshire.

There is Nothing like a Dame

At the height of her fame, Dame Laura Knight (1877-1970) was one of the most eminent and popular painters in Britain. In 1936, she became only the third woman to be elected as a full member of the Royal Academy – her 1965 retrospective was the first for a woman in the RA’s history – and her success in the then male-dominated British art establishment helped secure greater status and recognition for other female artists.

Dame Laura was greatly interested in and inspired by marginalised communities and individuals, including Romani people and circus performers. In the mid-1930s, Dame Laura befriended and painted groups of Romani women at Epsom and Ascot racecourses, using an old Rolls-Royce she rented from an undertaker as her mobile studio. The motor car, which is sadly unidentified, was large enough to accommodate her easel when it was raining; in fine weather, she would climb on the roof, which gave her a splendid vantage point above the heads of the race-day crowds.

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