Artist Brent Benger set to capture Abu Dhabi Grand Prix action onto canvas

The American artist, who hopes F1 fans will see the race from a different angle, is excited about coming to the capital.

One of the works of Brent Benger Courtesy Brent Benger

Formula One is possibly the most high-tech sport there is but American artist Brent Benger, 50, is preparing to capture the race at Abu Dhabi Grand Prix the most traditional of ways – by painting the event’s most heart-stopping moments.

Those with tickets to the weekend’s star-studded after-parties at the Podium Lounge will be able to watch him paint live, and view his completed F1 artwork, including depictions of the Yas Marina Circuit at sunset, the pit stop rush during a race, Lewis Hamilton driving around the track with the Union flag aloft, as well as portraits of F1 drivers Fernando Alonso, Nico Rosberg and Sebastian Vettel.

Benger’s Abu Dhabi trip will be the first time the artist has ventured outside of North America. But he has heard all about the capital from his father-in-law, Joe Hruda, who was the principal urban designer for Plan Abu Dhabi 2030.

“I am really excited just to be there and to be a part of Formula One,” says Benger. “I hope when people see F1, they’ll think a little bit about how I depicted it.”

Benger, whose work will also be on show at Yas Viceroy hotel, says his career began with painting action scenes of a different kind. He started out at the age of 24 as a matte artist, helping to create special effects for Hollywood movies in the days before computer graphics.

“When a film set was too expensive to build, back then we would paint it on large panes of glass,” he explains. These would then often be combined with live action footage.

Benger was mentored by acclaimed matte artist Mike Pangrazio, who painted backdrops for several Star Wars movies, ET and one of the final scenes of the Indiana Jones film Raiders of the Lost Ark, which depicts countless boxes of cargo stored in a government warehouse.

But this young protégé had to start out with lower-budget movies. "They didn't want me to blow it on a huge movie and make Steven Spielberg mad at us," says Benger. "I painted for Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990), which was a terrible movie. I have several paintings in there and I can't even watch it."

After a year of working on films, Benger realised his heart wasn’t in it. “It was just backgrounds and I preferred to paint people,” he says.

Benger moved from San Francisco back to where he grew up – LA’s Long Beach – and started painting baseball scenes.

"Sports Illustrated commissioned me to do several baseball-related paintings," he says. "I was a baseball player as a child and it's always been a big love of mine."

Benger was initially inspired by the first American sports artist, LeRoy Neiman, and much of his Formula One work follows a similar style of broad brush strokes and vivid colours. “I love using this style to depict the energy, intensity and effort that go into sport,” says Benger.

“But most of my painting is influenced by another artist, Norman Rockwell, because I also like to paint people’s interactions and tell a story through my art. I was lucky to be mentored by Rockwell’s assistant, Don Spaulding, who passed on all of his techniques to me.”

Benger recalls a painting he did for Sports Illustrated of baseball player Dave Winfield reading letters from children and signing baseballs in the locker room before a big game.

“His fans see him hitting home runs but they don’t usually see these sorts of images, says Benger. “The little moments behind the scenes add richness to the game.”

A big break came in 1992 when Benger painted heavyweight boxing champ Evander Holyfield, who then commissioned him to paint his family.

This year has been a busy one for Benger. In February, he was commissioned to paint several paintings for the NFL Super Bowl, including one of Aerosmith's Steve Tyler performing at Rolling Stone magazine's party.

He also painted legendary basketball player Kobe Bryant, and in May, he captured Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao face-off in the ring at MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Ahead of his Abu Dhabi visit this weekend, Benger is working on a painting of the Ferrari crew and their car in the pit lane.

“Most spectators don’t have access down that close,” he says. “If I can show people the intensity of getting that car back on the track as quickly as possible, I’m bringing them a little bit closer to the sport.”

• The Podium Lounge Abu Dhabi F1 after-parties are at du Forum from Friday to Sunday. Visit www.podiumlounge.com for more details