Presented in a dramatic setting, the beauty and simplicity of this 1923 BMW twin still shine. Photo by David Heald. Copyright Soloman R. Guggenheim Foundation 2001.
On January 5, the acclaimed "Art of the Motorcycle" exhibit ends its run at the Guggenheim Las Vegas, and that facility will reportedly close due to financial problems and a 25 percent drop in attendance at the Guggenheim parent location in New York City. Motorcycle enthusiasts who haven't yet seen this magnificent celebration of our machines should make an effort to see it if they can.
Premiering in 1999 at the Guggenheim New York, the exhibit became the most popular presentation ever for the Guggenheim, which took it overseas before returning it to the U.S. for the opening of its newest museum in Las Vegas, located at the Venetian hotel. The exhibit includes milestones ranging from a 1994 Hildebrand & Wolfmuller to late-model machines, and is staged dramatically in the Las Vegas museum in a facility designed by famed architect Frank Gehry. The facility will now close with the exhibit.
The exhibit sought to include "examples of the most important and seminal machines in motorcycle history." The criteria for inclusion were aesthetic appeal, technological innovation, and social impact. The motorcycle enthusiast seeing it for the first time typically discovers unknown motorcycle forms and technical features mixed with a bit of dj vu when encountering machines, such as the Honda 50, that were produced during his or her lifetime.
Marlon Brando surveys this display of prototype cruisers. Photo by David Heald. Copyright Soloman R. Guggenheim Foundation, 2001.
The exhibit runs from 9:30 to 8:30 daily. Tickets can be purchased online at http://www.museumtix.com/venue/program.asp?pvt=&vid=430&pid=147898 or by calling 866-GUGG TIX.
Though the exhibit had been scheduled to close on January 5th, it was supposed to be just the first of many events at the facility, not its first and last. The Guggeheim Las Vegas was conceived as an alternative to the more crass fare that typifies Las Vegas attractions. However, a $6 million budget shortfall for Soloman R, Guggenheim Foundation has led the organization to close the Las Vegas fcaility. The smaller Geggenheim Hermitage facility, also located at the Venetian, will remain open and will presumably employ at least some of the other facility's 90 employees.
Further information can be obtained by calling (702)414-2440 or at the museum's website at www.guggenheim.org.