If you dreamed about owning one of the amazing bicycles from the Cyclepedia exhibition when it was at the Portland Art Museum in 2013, now is your chance.
Michael Embacher, the man behind the much-heralded Embacher Collection, has decided to part with his entire collection of 203 rare bicycles at an auction to be held in Vienna next month.
Embacher’s office emailed us with the news this morning along with a personal note from Embacher about why he decided to part ways with the bikes. It seems partly a matter of circumstance (he has lost the attic space the collection has be housed in) and partly philosophical. Here’s a snip from his note:
“Like with every collector one of my fundamental needs is to be near the object I collect. Until two years ago this was possible, as the attic of my former office was my private museum. And so during the last ten years I “visited” my bikes daily and selected one of them to take a ride on. The attic was a part of the collection, which had been started there and put together with this place in mind. Unfortunately, I had to give up this attic space and during the past two years I was unable to find an alternative.
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AdvertisementMaking the decision to separate myself from a unique collection that had been built up with immense passion was a protracted and difficult process. For many years I had hoarded, cared for, documented and exhibited my “slender travel animals” (quote: Gabriele Petricek). Looked at in visual terms bicycles for me are anarchical beings, a kind of synonym for untrammelled freedom.
Therefore the idea of now setting them free again greatly appeals to me.”
I can’t imagine how he can get rid off these beauties. I have a garage full of old bikes and I can’t seem to let any of them go!
The auction house Dorotheum has set up an online catalog where the opening bids range from $55 for a 1950s Peugeot city bike to $6,500 for an Alex Moulton.
The collection will be on view for 10 days prior to the auction on May 19th. I have an invitation to the cocktail preview party on May 12th but I’m unfortunately unable to attend. If anyone would like to go in my place, let me know. My only requirement is that you bring me back a bike.