Halfway across the world, a queue is snaking outside the Queensland Gallery of Modern Art, Australia. The long line is comprised of avid motorcycle fans, eager to gawp at the dozens of machines on display which together illustrate the fascinating evolution of motorcycle design.
The exhibition – entitled The Motorcycle: Design, Art, Desire – bears all the hallmarks of a contemporary art display: artworks (in this case motorcycles) are generously spaced-out and mounted on slick white plinths and accompanied by perspex-cased text panels. We are thus reminded that our beloved two-wheelers are not only technologically impressive but also beautiful works of art in their own right. It’s no wonder that the exhibition has received rave reviews.
And fortunately, we don’t have to travel 9526 miles to experience The Motorcycle: Design, Art, Desire either: art publisher Phaidon have saved us that job by producing an accompanying book of the same name. Its authors – Charles Falco and Ultan Guilfoyle – are also the show’s curators and, as such, the book itself is a sort of exhibition, albeit a paginated one.
In last month’s TCM we embarked on the first part of a ‘tour’ of The Motorcycle with its author and TCM reader Charles Falco and now, it’s time for part two…. Design comes in many forms. In the last issue of TCM, Charles Falco described some of the influences that have determined the development of motorcycle technology, such as the magneto. But as for the way a motorcycle looks, that’s a whole other story…
Denne historien er fra February 2021-utgaven av The Classic MotorCycle.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Denne historien er fra February 2021-utgaven av The Classic MotorCycle.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Runs should be fun
The club run is an integral part of the old motorcycle scene. During 2020, a variation on the usual theme emerged, enabling people to ride in the company of like-minded souls.
Hybrid chicken
BSA Bantams come in many forms, and the ability to interchange parts between different models permits an almost endless number of variants.
Green WITH ENVY
Life aboard a 1950s 350cc British single is perhaps as good and as uncomplicated as it can get.
Worth the wait
Captivated by sight of one as a small boy, finally our man has the chance to try an NSU Max.And a ‘Spezial’ one at that…
The Motorcycle: DESIGN, ART AND DESIRE
The concluding part of a two-part feature, in which the history of motorcycle evolution is examined and a new book’s author interviewed.
Cream rises
There were several ‘star performers’ at Bonhams’ winter sale, as the choice machines achieved huge sums.
The Giant of Provence
With so few events to report from, it’s time to look back over a spectacular French event and look forward to its hopeful resumption.
Store cupboard special
A big box of presents? Must be Christmas! More deliveries keep the project on track.
By 1929, CJP Dodson was a bona fide top level road racer, pretty much unbeatable on the sand, too.
The diminutive Charlie Dodson was the last man to win a TT, the 1928 Senior, on a ‘flat-tank’ machine, then the next year became the first (and only) winner of a TT on a saddle tank Sunbeam, as well as recording the last ever success in the Island for the Marston maker.
Cassandra the Canadian Commando
After landing a new job and with time on his hands, a young man in Vancouver decided to restore a British motorcycle considerably older than him.
