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Art Bike inspired by artist\u00a0Frank Stella\u2019s Tahkt-i-Sulayman, Variation II<\/strong><\/p>\n

As part of their 100th anniversary celebrations,\u00a0Minneapolis Institute of Art (MIA)<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0teamed up with\u00a0area bike shop Handsome Cycles<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0to\u00a0bring some of the most famous\u00a0masterpieces from their permanent collection to life in the form of\u00a0three art-inspired bikes.<\/p>\n

According to MIA Venture Innovation Director Hunter Wright, “The MIA is excited to partner with Handsome Cycles, a company that shares the museum’s commitment to embracing the local and integrating great design, technology, and experimentation, while staying true to its core values and community. ”<\/p>\n

In order to make the “Art Bikes” a reality, Handsome Cycles collaborated with well known\u00a0Minneapolis-based designers and artists, including\u00a0KNOCK, inc.<\/a>, TREAT AND COMPANY<\/a>, Peacock Groove<\/a>, and Dirt Designs Graphic<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>to create something extremely impressive.<\/p>\n

The first bike is inspired by artist\u00a0Frank Stella\u2019s Tahkt-i-Sulayman, Variation II. The vibrant colours, circles\u00a0and stripes of his 1969 painting are well replicated on the bike\u00a0frame, red saddle and bar grips, and pink rimmed tires.\u00a0If you look closely, even the chains links are intricately painted with the colour from the painting.<\/p>\n

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The piece of art behind this bike is Frank Stella\u2019s \u201cTahkt-i-Sulayman, Variation II,\u201d from 1969. \u201cPlaying with color, lines and circles is fun,\u201d explains Ben Morrison, co-founder and CEO of Handsome Cycles.
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The second bike draws inspiration from Hans Ledwinka\u2019s 1948 Tatra T-87 Four-Door Sedan, a classic silver car with sweeping curvature and elegant lines.\u00a0The smooth, full rear fender skirt is created with a metal sheet and drop handle bars are wrapped in tan leather. The bike also features a dynamo powered front light simlar to the ones on the car. The bike pays tribute to\u00a0Ledwinka\u2019s excellent craftsmanship and eye for detail.<\/p>\n

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Art Bike inspired by\u00a0Hans Ledwinka\u2019s 1948 Tatra T-87 Four-Door Sedan<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s something that none of us had ever done before. Using sheet metal to build this thing and lots of Bondo and sanding. By far the biggest challenge was, \u2018How do we make this crazy cool custom rear wheel enclosure?\u2019\u201d said Morrison.
\n<\/a> <\/a>The third bike is inspired by the\u00a0impressionist style of Claude Monet\u2019s 1891 painting: Grainstack, Sun in the Mist. The detailed and colorful\u00a0paint job, a\u00a0worn wooden crate,\u00a0a pale brown saddle, grips and tires is reminiscent of a French countryside setting, where exactly this painting is.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe approached it with this idea of \u2018Let\u2019s design a bike that would be at home in this French countryside, where this painting is.\u2019 That\u2019s all we had to go on. With the car, we could pull distinct cues, but with the Monet, we had to get more abstract,\u201d explained Morrison.<\/p>\n

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While these functional bikes remain as pieces of art\u00a0only, both MIA and Handsome Cycle are offering an exclusive line of visually stunning rideable bikes to celebrate the 100-year anniversary starting from just $1,099.<\/p>\n

+ Minneapolis Instiute of Art (MIA)<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

+ Handsome Cycles<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Art Bike inspired by artist\u00a0Frank Stella\u2019s Tahkt-i-Sulayman, Variation II As part of their 100th anniversary celebrations,\u00a0Minneapolis Institute of Art (MIA)\u00a0teamed up with\u00a0area bike shop Handsome Cycles\u00a0to\u00a0bring some of the most famous\u00a0masterpieces from their permanent collection to life in the form of\u00a0three art-inspired bikes. According to MIA Venture Innovation Director Hunter Wright, “The MIA is excited […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":44523,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[88,4706,30],"tags":[7627,6816,7630,7628,7629],"yoast_head":"\n