Uli Hack Exploring Challenges

Exploring challenges, exceeding yourself and enjoying the rewards. Uli Hack does all that and more. He is an artist, Art Director and Creative Director.

Uli Hack Art Director and Creative Director

What did you dream of when you were a kid? Becoming an astronaut, a policeman or perhaps a pilot? Or did you dream about racing, driving exclusive cars and meeting your Formula 1 heroes?

The latter was the dream of Uli Hack and he made it happen. He has been to all the famous Formula 1 tracks to create art, meet his heroes and become friends with them. He was also able to join the Mille Miglia, the Targa Florio and the Carrera Pan Americana. Hack is a grateful guy; content with what he achieved and still ambitious to do more.

Uli Hack - Louwman Museum design

He started his career painting which is what he loved the most ……cars and he became good at it. His work was recognized and he went on to be commissioned by the FIA to create the official poster series for every grand prix from 1998 to 2000. Yet when he reached 40, he came to a turning point in his life. At that time he had finished his book ‘Kunst im Grenzbereich’ and reflected on what he had done.

In that period Mr. Albert Westerman, owner of the fashion label State of Art became friends with Uli. Albert owns an impressive Porsche collection and they share a passion for cars as well as atmosphere and design. Uli entered the company as the Art Director and his contribution evolved from decoration and graphic design, to a clothing line around the Mille Miglia, to helping developing the State of Art brand and the atmosphere that belongs to it.

Automotive Art by Uli Hack

Mr. E. by Uli Hack

One thing lead to another and Mr. Westerman introduced him to Mr. Louwman who asked Uli to be the Creative Director of the new Louwman museum. This museum shows the history of the motor car by its’ impressive collection of cars.

For Uli, it has always been about setting goals and working extremely hard to realize them. Being a successful artist is not only the talent of creating but also of getting things done. Being an artist requires hard work and by doing so you lose out on a lot. By that he means the sacrifices required. You will fail but you have to get up again. Nothing comes by itself and once you have decided to be an artist you have to start each day with that goal in mind.

Porsche Turbo by Uli Hack

Art is about creating bigger pictures. “When I start with a canvas I have something in mind but then I am always able to exceed myself.” Projects, like the Louwman museum and a new museum in Freiburg, a project he is currently finalizing, can be a bigger challenge. There are many more restrictions but he is treating these projects in the same way as his art. The challenges of these restrictions require him to find solutions, to explore alternatives and options and the results are so very rewarding.

“If there are no borders, you can’t cross them”.

Automotive art is an important element of the museums which he worked for as an Art Director. In order to choose the art, he has to put himself aside as an artist, to objectively be able to make his choices.

When asked what makes automotive art fine art, he explains that it has to do with being able to develop a personal style. That when you look at a piece of car art, you recognize the signature style of the artist.

SLS by Uli Hack

Automotive Art by Uli Hack

If you have a unique style and are able to create something different, you can apply it to other things related to the same scenes and benefit from the laurels you receive.

Today Uli spends his time mostly as an Art Director. He is a Creative Consultant in projects with Porsche where he can contribute as a car historian as well as an artist. And while he doesn’t paint as many canvases as he used to, his project work does carry his signature.

Targa Florio 73 by Uli Hack

Automotive Art by Uli Hack

The energetic strokes and lines, the vibrant colours, the passion jumping at you from the walls. He still needs his work to trigger an emotion.

Yet he feels like the paintings might come back. Uli is very much into portraits but cars have always been his passion. Looking back he has done everything on that topic which needed to be done. Portraits add the challenge of capturing the emotion, the character of the people in the painting. A portrait is a mirror of the people.