A bike art news roundup

An exhibition of 125 years of bicycles in
fine art photographs begins next week.
(Photo: Detail of Untitled (Girls on bicycles),
1946 by Herman Landshoff)

One of the fringe benefits of living in a healthy bike ecosystem is that bike-inspired art is all around us. On that note, a few items have crossed my desk recently that I though were worth sharing.

The first is a photo exhibition coming to Charles A. Hartman Fine Art (134 NW 8th Ave). Pedaling: Bicycle Photographs From Then to Now is a survey of photographs spanning 125 years. “In celebration of summer and the vibrant cycling community in the gallery’s hometown of Portland,” Hartman has put together an impressive collection for this show. The exhibition features work from such noted artists as: Henri Cartier-Bresson, Elliott Erwitt, Antonin Gribovsky, Shinsaku Izumi, André Kertész, Herman Landshoff, Nathan Lerner, and others. Here’s more to whet your appetite:

“… images that examines our life with, and affection for, the bicycle. Ranging in style from social documentary to modernist abstraction and in impulse from charming to studious, the photographs that make up this exhibition spotlight the many ways in which bicycles are a part of our lives. From transportation to sport to simple fun, this historic and elegant technology continues to play a vital part in our contemporary culture.”

The exhibition opens June 16th and runs through July 31st. Visit the gallery for a reception on First Thursday, July 1st, from 5:30 to 8:30pm. More info here.

A scene from the Artcrank
show last year.
(Photo © J. Maus)

Artcrank, the “Poster party for bike people” that was a big success last year, has announced it will return to Portland in 2010. The show will happen at The Cleaners at Ace Hotel (403 SW 10th Ave.) on October 7th from 5:00 to 11:00 pm.

The poster art is created by local artists and the show is a sale of the works with all proceeds benefitting a local non-profit. Check out Artcrank online for more info.

And finally today, I’d like to point you to new art created for the Portland Mercury’s Bike Issue (which is in newsstands now and is fantastic by the way). The art was created by Portland-based design studio Script & Seal. Check it out:

If you love it (or think it’s a fitting Father’s Day gift perhaps?), prints are available for sale here.

If you know of more great bike art happening around town, drop us a line and we’ll feature it in an upcoming roundup.

Mercury bike issue