MOTORING ART
KLAUS WAGGER
Few paint great racers as vibrantly as this Austrian,
now the poster artist for the Festival of Speed
September 2019 Classic & Sports Car 47Since winning a poster design
competition for the Mille Miglia
back in 2000, Klaus Wagger has
been much in demand for promo-
tional paintings. As well as for the
Daytona 500, Rétromobile and even
the Italian Carabinieri, this talented
Austrian is now the official poster
artist for the Goodwood Festival of
Speed. Just two have been selected
by the Duke of Richmond since the
event started in 1993, with Wagger
taking over from Peter Hearsey in- Goodwood events are a
favourite for Wagger, so he has no
trouble with inspiration.
Featured subjects roaring up
the scenic hillclimb started with
a fantasy of Gilles Villeneuve side-
ways in the Ferrari 312T3 for the
‘Flat-out and Fearless’ theme. This
was followed by many of Wagger’s
favourite subjects, including
a Can-Am Sunoco Porsche 917
blasting off the line, the glorious
Ferrari P4, a Gulf team 917 and this
year’s tribute to Jackie Stewart with
Tyrrell 003. “Once we’ve discussed
the Festival themes, the Goodwood
team gives me plenty of artistic
freedom,” says Wagger. “My chal-
lenge is to portray the pace and
excitement of the event. I produce
a mini painting first, and when it’s
approved I start on the full-size
work. I use acrylics rather than oils
because they offer bolder colours
and dry faster. I always paint the
background first and then work to
the front. This way my brushwork
can be more expressive and helps
capture the sense of speed.
“Working for Goodwood is the
pinnacle of the motoring-art world
for me. Many event organisations
are turning to photography, so it’s
great that the Duke of Richmond
continues to support artists. Peter
Hearsey was an important inspira-
tion for me, so it’s an honour to
follow him. This year I finally got
to meet the Duke at the Festival,
which was a special moment.”
It’s hard to imagine that the
Tyrol-based artist trained as an
industrial designer and first focused
on technical illustration, but these
tight disciplines soon frustrated
his bolder creative ambitions:
“I started painting classic racing
cars in my spare time and loved the
challenge of recreating the action.
Modern cars have little appeal to
me; I love the individuality of early
racing machines, and especially
their national characteristics.
“Recently I’ve been inspired to
paint more pre-war vehicles, in
particular Bugattis. The Type 35 is
for me the ultimate racing car. It
has the absolute bare essentials and
I never tire of it as a subject.”
Wagger has been a member of
the Automotive Fine Arts Society
since 2013, and he regularly shows
his work at Rétromobile and
Techno-Classica Essen: “I’ve also
exhibited at the Goodwood Revival
for years, but in 2019 I’m having
a break so I can explore this great
event for a change.” MWFor more, call 0043 699 1195 5277
or see http://www.klauswagger.atFrom top: Splash ’n’ Dash,
with Daytona Cobra during
a wet Sebring 12 Hours;
Porsche 917 chased by
Ferrari 512 on Daytona’s
banking in Blue Streak