17 March 2010. New York, NY- Bonhams is delighted to announce the upcoming sale of two custom Harley-Davidson motorcycles to benefit the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation. The auction will be held on May 14, 2011 at Quail Lodge in Carmel, California.
Built for Otis Chandler, and owned by the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation since the historic 1998 exhibition The Art of the Motorcycle, these two Harley-Davidson motorcycles are exact recreations of the iconic ‘Captain America’ chopper and the ‘Billy Bike’ Harley-Davidson motorcycles ridden by screen legends Peter Fonda and the late Dennis Hopper in the film ‘Easy Rider’.
The 1962 Harley-Davidson 'Billy Bike', recreation 1993, is estimated at $15,000-20,000 without reserve, and has been displayed at: Born to Ride: America’s Two Wheeled Culture at the Saratoga Automobile Museum, Saratoga Springs, NY (2007), Wheelz at the Columbus College of Art & Design, OH (2005), and Heroes of Harley-Davidson at the Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum, Columbus, OH (2003-04).
The
1963 Harley-Davidson 'Captain America', recreation 1993, is estimated at $20,000-30,000 without reserve, and has also been exhibited in Born to Ride: America’s Two Wheeled Culture at the Saratoga Automobile Museum, Saratoga Springs, NY (2007),
The Art of the Motorcycle traveling exhibition to The Memphis International Culture Series and the Orlando Museum of Art (2005-06), and Heroes of Harley-Davidson at the Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum, Columbus, OH (2003-04).
In 1998 the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York held its historic exhibition The Art of the Motorcycle, an extensive and educational display of the progression of the design of the motorcycle. Naturally, these two icons were part of that legend and they were acquired directly from Mr. Chandler to be part of this famed show. The Art of the Motorcycle exhibition traveled to the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago and the Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao, Spain, on both occasions these machines were displayed.
Footnote – Because the Guggenheim does not collect motorcycles as part of its mission or collection, it has determined to offer these replicas for sale, with the proceeds used to benefit the Foundation.
VIEWINGS
New York:
580 Madison Avenue, NY 10022:
Friday March 11 - Wednesday March 30, 2011
California:
Quail Lodge, 8205 Valley Greens Drive, Carmel Valley, CA 93923:
Friday May 13 – Saturday May 14, 2011