The photographs were shot in the south of France, and portray the sportscar together with American model Brad Kroenig. The exclusive art calendar will be available only to buyers of the Audi R8.

From the official Press Release:

For Head of Volkswagen Group Design Walter de’Silva design, in abstract terms, is “a number of individual signals which add up to give a powerful overall signal. Design is always a reflection of outlooks on life, views and convictions.”

De’Silva designed the Audi R8 to be the expression of “ultimate sportiness”.

And now Karl Lagerfeld has photographed the sports car, interpreting its design in an unusual new light. These photographs will appear in an art calendar entitled “Kaleidoscopic Vision of a Car”.

Lagerfeld breaks down the overall design of the R8, developed by de’Silva from “individual signals”, by working with reflections and making the images abstract – similar to the view through a kaleidoscope. The black and white photographs convey completely new, exciting perspectives.

“Seeing this emotion-stirring sports car through the eyes of a design icon such as Karl Lagerfeld is an impressive experience – and heightens the anticipation of all those who have already ordered it even further,” commented Ralph Weyler, Board Member for Marketing and Sales at AUDI AG.

The photographs were shot in the south of France, in Ramatuelle near Saint-Tropez.

Sitting at the wheel of the R8 is the American Brad Kroenig, currently the most in-demand male model, whom the couturier has been photographing for five years for his long-term study “One Man Shown”.

Karl Lagerfeld in person will be presenting the images in a photo exhibition at the Audi Forum New York on 12 May 2007. The exhibition will be continuing for two weeks. The exclusive art calendar will be available only to buyers of the Audi R8.

About Karl Lagerfeld

Karl Lagerfeld is widely recognized as one of the more influential fashion designers of the late 20th century.

He made his name as an independent creator who collaborated with a variety of different fashion labels, including Chloé, Fendi and Chanel.

In 2004 he designed some outfits for the international music artist's Madonna Re-Invention tour, and recently designed outfits for Kylie Minogue's Showgirls tour.

As a photographer, Lagerfeld produced "Visionaire 23: The Emperor's New Clothes", a series of nude pictures of South African model David Miller.

For more information visit www.karllagerfeld.com or read his biography on Wikipedia.

(Source: Audi)