. . "The Art of the Motorcycle was an exhibition that presented 114 motorcycles chosen for their historic importance or design excellence in a display designed by Frank Gehry in the curved rotunda of the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York City, running for three months in late 1998. The exhibition attracted the largest crowds ever at that museum, and received mixed but positive reviews in the art world, with the exception of some art and social critics who rejected outright the existence of such a show at an institution like the Guggenheim, condemning it for excessive populism, and for being compromised by the financial influence of its sponsors."@en . . . "1122746031"^^ . . . . "Major works:"@en . . "1930.0"^^ . . "1919"^^ . . . . . . "1998-11-07"^^ . . "1914"^^ . . "51906"^^ . . . . "1910"^^ . . . . . "A pristine 1914 motorcycle with a bright yellow frame, racing style handlebars and skinny racing tires."@en . . . . . . . . "1962"^^ . "Dbratland/Infobox non-recurring event"@en . "The plain white interior balconies spiraling around a rotunda under a huge skylight."@en . . "( * Later derivative exhibitions licensing the name were put on by Wonders: The Memphis International Cultural Series and the Orlando Museum of Art, and others, using some of the original catalog and a variety of interior designs, but not curated by the Guggenheim.)"@en . . . . . "Guggenheim-New York-interior-20060717.jpg"@en . . . . . . . . "Major artists/creators:"@en . . "340"^^ . . . "75"^^ . . . "1923"^^ . . . . . "Pamela Anderson in Barb Wire"@en . . . . . . "Steve McQueen in The Great Escape . Motorcycles shown are Britten V1000, Harley-Davidson Sportster, Jackson-Rotax JAP Speedway and Matchless G50"@en . . . . . "Pam in the Blue Room.jpg"@en . . "vertical"@en . "1998-06-26"^^ . "1999-11-24"^^ . . . "2001-10-07"^^ . . . . "Gug3.jpg"@en . . . . . "1960.0"^^ . . . "Upstairs.jpg"@en . "horizontal"@en . . "A shiny black Art Deco motorcycle of 1923 with a BMW logo on the gas tank and a boxer twin engine."@en . . . . "1910"^^ . . . . . "Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, NY"@en . . "2000000"^^ . . . "1919"^^ . "Financial sponsors:"@en . . "1914"^^ . . . "A pristine-looking, spindly turn-of-the-century style motorcycle with a chain and pedals like a bicycle, and a flame lantern for a headlight. A leather belt delivers power from the engine to the rear wheel."@en . . . . "Translucent panel reaching floor to ceiling, with image of voluptuous blond woman on a motorcycle in front of chamber with several motorcycles on pedestals."@en . . . "1900"^^ . . . . . . . "A pristine-looking 1960's-era single-cylinder motorcycle with a blue frame and bright red seat, and a Honda wing logo on the gas tank."@en . . "Vespa and friend.jpg"@en . . . . . . "133"^^ . "The Art of the Motorcycle"@en . . . . . . "Honda - The Art of the Motorcycle Las Vegas.jpg"@en . . "Curators"@en . . . . . "A giant black and white image on the wall of a voluptuous woman with medium-colored hair sitting on a motorcycle. In the foreground are three motorcycles on pedestals."@en . . "Third Venue:"@en . "Text behind the motorcycles offered some context. (Las Vegas exhibit, January 2003)"@en . . . "left"@en . . . "-1989.0"^^ . "Guggenheim Las Vegas \"Art of the Motorcycle\" Panorama 8.jpg"@en . . . . . . . . . . "Final Venue*:"@en . . . "160"^^ . "Rotunda of the Solomon R. Guggenheim museum in New York, NY . Frank Gehry covered these surfaces with polished stainless steel , creating the feeling of being inside a giant machine, or an engine cylinder."@en . "A long pedestal with undulating top surface, and four motorcycles on it, in front of a giant image on the wall of a man jumping a motorcycle over a tall barb-wire fence."@en . . "motorcycles, film, speeches, memorabilia"@en . "165"^^ . . . "Undulating ramps built in Las Vegas created a lively effect, while in New York the motorcycles followed a sloping, spiral ramp."@en . . . . . "Major lenders:"@en . . . . . . . "Roman Holiday behind Honda Super Cub and Vespa GS"@en . . . . . "200"^^ . . . . "Black Corner Bikes.jpg"@en . "20"^^ . . "1960"^^ . "US and other industrialized countries."@en . "Ann-Margret in The Swinger behind 1960 Honda CB92"@en . "1962"^^ . . . . . . . . "Opening Venue:"@en . . . "Host:"@en . . . . . "Guggenheim Las Vegas 03.jpg"@en . . . . "A bright red 1910 motorcycle with a flame headlamp, white rubber tires and a four-cylinder engine."@en . . . . "235"^^ . . "Second Venue:"@en . . . . . . . . . "1923"^^ . . . . . "The Art of the Motorcycle"@en . . . . . . "Thomas Krens, Charles Falco, Ultan Guilfoyle"@en . "A pristine motorcycle of 1919, painted green with a v-twin engine and footboards."@en . . . . . . . . "The same rotunda with the balconies covered in mirror-polished stainless steel. There are people walking along galleries, and a burly man with large beard, wearing, a black t-shirt, leans on the railing."@en . . . . . . . . . . "Media:"@en . . . . . "Film stills were used as backgrounds in the Las Vegas exhibition."@en . . . . "Subject:"@en . . "Total attendance:"@en . . . . . . "Period:"@en . "motorcycles"@en . . . "23457453"^^ . "Nation/culture:"@en . . . . . "1900"^^ . "The Art of the Motorcycle was an exhibition that presented 114 motorcycles chosen for their historic importance or design excellence in a display designed by Frank Gehry in the curved rotunda of the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York City, running for three months in late 1998. The exhibition attracted the largest crowds ever at that museum, and received mixed but positive reviews in the art world, with the exception of some art and social critics who rejected outright the existence of such a show at an institution like the Guggenheim, condemning it for excessive populism, and for being compromised by the financial influence of its sponsors. The unusual move to place motorcycles in the Guggenheim came from director Thomas Krens, himself a motorcycling enthusiast, supported by a novel corporate tie-in with BMW. The motorcycles were chosen by experts including Krens, physicist and motorcycling historian Charles Falco, Guggenheim advisers Ultan Guilfoyle and Manon Slone, and others. The exhibition was described by historian Jeremy Packer as representing the end of a cycle of demonization and social rejection of motorcyclists, followed by acceptance and reintegration that had begun with the mythologized Hollister riot of 1947 and ended with the high-end marketing of motorcycles and the newly fashionable biker image of the 1980s and 1990s. Or at least the show served as \"a long-overdue celebration of the sport, the machines and the pioneers they love.\" The exhibition was the beginning of a new trend in profitable, blockbuster museum exhibits, foreshadowed by The Treasures of Tutankhamun tour of 1972-1979. Questions over the museum's relationship with corporate financial sponsors, both in this show and the tribute to the work of fashion designer Giorgio Armani (on the heels of a $15 million pledge to the museum from Mr. Armani) that followed shortly after, contributed to soul searching and the drafting of new ethical guidelines by the Association of Art Museum Directors."@en . . . . . "Blue Room Bikes 5.jpg"@en .