South African artist Robin Rhode used a sporty two-seater BMW Z4 convertible to make a sprawling work on floor panels as part of a display at New York’s Grand Central Station commissioned by the German auto giant. Working in a Los Angeles studio, Rhode indicated a winding course, then had a stunt driver follow it in the car, whose tires had been coated with pigment. With a little nudging from his dealer, New York’s Perry Rubenstein, the auto company gave Rhode a car of his choice — and he didn’t go for the awesome dude-mobile. "I have a family," he tells Art+Auction. "I chose a station wagon."

"Rules of the Rhode" originally appeared in the May 2009 issue of Art+Auction. For a complete list of articles from this issue available on ARTINFO, see Art+Auction's May 2009 Table of Contents.