At the upcoming Bonhams auction at Quail Lodge, due to be held on May 14, two custom Harley-Davidson motorcycles will go under the hammer, with the proceeds to benefit the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation.
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, Wheelz at the Columbus College of Art & Design, and Heroes of Harley-Davidson at the Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum.
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, The Art of the Motorcycle traveling exhibition to The Memphis International Culture Series and the Orlando Museum of Art, and Heroes of Harley-Davidson at the Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum.
“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,” a statement from Bonhams reads. “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.”
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, Wheelz at the Columbus College of Art & Design, and Heroes of Harley-Davidson at the Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum.
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, The Art of the Motorcycle traveling exhibition to The Memphis International Culture Series and the Orlando Museum of Art, and Heroes of Harley-Davidson at the Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum.
“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,” a statement from Bonhams reads. “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.”