Xavier Chevalier races at 22e rallye des Bauges with art press sponsorship

In 2007, artist Xavier Chevalier participated as a driver in the 22e rallye des Bauges, a car rally in the French Alps, sponsored by art press magazine. The event originated from a 2003 performance at Attitudes in Geneva, where Chevalier won a floating bowl mini-moto race organized by Sophie Dejode and Bertrand Lacombe. The prize was an article in art press. Two years earlier, Pascal Neveux, then director of Frac Alsace, wanted to acquire a work by Chevalier. Since Chevalier's projects are often performances, Neveux proposed that Frac Alsace sponsor his first rally participation in exchange for a video to be added to the collection. Chevalier chose the rallye des Bauges, formed Team Chevalier sport, and painted a Renault Clio maxi with logos of sponsors including Frac Alsace, Frac Paca, Rhinocéros, Fondation Jean-Marc et Claudine Salomon, art exit, Art G, MCB rallye compétition, and art press. He drove with co-pilot Stanislas Miguet, equipped with three cameras. On October 13-14, 2007, Chevalier finished 102nd out of 154 participants after a practice crash and minor damage during the race. The performance is contextualized within art history as a risky endeavor akin to Chris Burden, Gina Pane, Ant Farm, and Alexander Calder's painted BMW driven by Hervé Poulain at the 1975 24 Hours of Le Mans.