Perhaps no bicycle manufacturer has bridged the bicycle and art as steadfastly as the Columbus steel tubing company.
Antonio Colombo, head of Columbus and Cinelli, may be in pandemic lockdown, like all Italians. But that isn’t stopping the industry legend from reflecting on his other passion — modern art. From his apartment in downtown Milan, Colombo, an avid art collector and gallery owner, is putting the final touches on his third exhibit celebrating the centennial of legendary Columbus steel tubing company, one that simply celebrates cycling and art. Here, we have a sneak peek at the bicycles and images that will be on display.
Cinelli Laser with hand painted disc whees. Photo: Keith Haring
Throughout the 20th century, the bicycle was a common motif in the history of modern art. The bicycle was celebrated in Cubism, and Futurism as a modern tool in the early 1900s, while street artists like Keith Haring celebrated its timeless forms in the late 20th century.
Moser hour record bike on display at Colombo gallery. Photo: Colombo gallery.
Perhaps no bicycle manufacturer has bridged the bicycle and art as steadfastly as the Columbus steel tubing company. This year, as the company celebrates its own centennial, Antonio Colombo, the son of founder Angelo, has organized several exhibits in Milan to focus not only on the company’s history, but the historic relationship of cycling and art.
Antonio Colombo. Photo: James Startt
Growing up in the 1960s, Antonio fell in love with modern art and, before he took over the family business, would travel the world to study it. Soon enough he began collecting, developing a personal relationship with many contemporary artists, and eventually opened his own Antonio Colombo Arte Contempranea gallery, in Milan, in the late 1990s.
Throughout 2019 and 2020, a series of exhibits entitled Columbus Continuum focuses on different aspects of the company’s relationship to cycling and art.
The first exhibit Flessibili Splendori: Columbus and Tubular furniture, that opened last fall, focused on the prevalent use of the company’s highly reputed steel tubing in modern furniture design, as the company had a close working relationship with the German-led Bauhaus school between the world wars.
Cinelli Supercorsa. Photo: RVCA Barry McGee, 2008 (2)
Pioneering designers like Michael Breuer relied heavily on the bicycle tubes as the foundation of his historic chairs. Today several models like the Cesca and Wassily chairs can be found in museums around the world and are considered some of the most influential furniture designs of the 20th century.
Anima d’Accacio: Columbus e il design della bicicletta, which ran until January 19 2020, focused on the evolution of the bicycling itself, while Traguardo Volante: Cinelli and Columbus, Crossing the Line Between Art and Bicycle, focuses on cycling as a recurrent motif in the visual arts.
Mario Schifano, composizione per serigrafia Granciclismo. Picture: Anni Ottanta
“Freedom is the territory of art and the territory of the bicycle, so it just normal that the two come together,” Colombo told VeloNews on Tuesday. “What you like when you get a bicycle is the freedom it gives you and artists are always in search of the freedom of expression.”
Obviously, considering the current coronavirus crisis that has all of Italy in lockdown, the gallery is currently closed and the final exhibit is on hold. But that has not prohibited Colombo or his exhibit curator Luca Beatrice to make final selections for the exhibit.
Photo: Eric White
“The exhibits this year at the gallery were a way to bring together my passion for the bicycle, modern furniture and contemporary art,” he said. “The bicycle has been a central part of life in the 20th century so it is normal that artists would at times incorporate it into their own own.”
Certain artists of course were more fascinated by the aesthetic form of the bicycle. And this was perhaps no more evident than with Marcel Duchamp’s revolutionary “Bicycle Wheel,” from 1913. Considered a Dada masterpiece just before the outbreak of World War I, Duchamp took two objects found in everyday life — a wooden stool and the front fork and wheel of a bicycle — to create his first Readymade piece of art.
A Pegoretti steel frame on display at the Colombo gallery. Photo: Colombo gallery
Other artists, like the Futurists, were more interested in the speed and movement of the bicycle in action.
Colombo’s gallery is historically focused on more contemporary art. And while the final selection is still a work in progress itself, don’t be surprised to see works by late 20th-century artists, as well as personal friends, like Kieth Haring or Mario Schifano.
While Colombo admits that it is impossible to announce an exact date for the opening, he knows that once his country frees itself from the current health crisis, there will be even more reason to celebrate.
LONDON (AP) — With a few daubs of a paintbrush, the Brontë sisters have got their dots back.
More than eight decades after it was installed, a memorial to the three 19th-century sibling novelists in London’s Westminster Abbey was amended Thursday to restore the diaereses – the two dots over the e in their surname.
The dots — which indicate that the name is pronounced “brontay” rather than “bront” — were omitted when the stone tablet commemorating Charlotte, Emily and Anne was erected in the abbey’s Poets’ Corner in October 1939, just after the outbreak of World War II.
They were restored after Brontë historian Sharon Wright, editor of the Brontë Society Gazette, raised the issue with Dean of Westminster David Hoyle. The abbey asked its stonemason to tap in the dots and its conservator to paint them.
“There’s no paper record for anyone complaining about this or mentioning this, so I just wanted to put it right, really,” Wright said. “These three Yorkshire women deserve their place here, but they also deserve to have their name spelled correctly.”
It’s believed the writers’ Irish father Patrick changed the spelling of his surname from Brunty or Prunty when he went to university in England.
Raised on the wild Yorkshire moors, all three sisters died before they were 40, leaving enduring novels including Charlotte’s “Jane Eyre,” Emily’s “Wuthering Heights” and Anne’s “The Tenant of Wildfell Hall.”
Rebecca Yorke, director of the Brontë Society, welcomed the restoration.
“As the Brontës and their work are loved and respected all over the world, it’s entirely appropriate that their name is spelled correctly on their memorial,” she said.
In a case that has sent shockwaves through the Vancouver Island art community, a local art dealer has been charged with one count of fraud over $5,000. Calvin Lucyshyn, the former operator of the now-closed Winchester Galleries in Oak Bay, faces the charge after police seized hundreds of artworks, valued in the tens of millions of dollars, from various storage sites in the Greater Victoria area.
Alleged Fraud Scheme
Police allege that Lucyshyn had been taking valuable art from members of the public under the guise of appraising or consigning the pieces for sale, only to cut off all communication with the owners. This investigation began in April 2022, when police received a complaint from an individual who had provided four paintings to Lucyshyn, including three works by renowned British Columbia artist Emily Carr, and had not received any updates on their sale.
Further investigation by the Saanich Police Department revealed that this was not an isolated incident. Detectives found other alleged victims who had similar experiences with Winchester Galleries, leading police to execute search warrants at three separate storage locations across Greater Victoria.
Massive Seizure of Artworks
In what has become one of the largest art fraud investigations in recent Canadian history, authorities seized approximately 1,100 pieces of art, including more than 600 pieces from a storage site in Saanich, over 300 in Langford, and more than 100 in Oak Bay. Some of the more valuable pieces, according to police, were estimated to be worth $85,000 each.
Lucyshyn was arrested on April 21, 2022, but was later released from custody. In May 2024, a fraud charge was formally laid against him.
Artwork Returned, but Some Remain Unclaimed
In a statement released on Monday, the Saanich Police Department confirmed that 1,050 of the seized artworks have been returned to their rightful owners. However, several pieces remain unclaimed, and police continue their efforts to track down the owners of these works.
Court Proceedings Ongoing
The criminal charge against Lucyshyn has not yet been tested in court, and he has publicly stated his intention to defend himself against any pending allegations. His next court appearance is scheduled for September 10, 2024.
Impact on the Local Art Community
The news of Lucyshyn’s alleged fraud has deeply affected Vancouver Island’s art community, particularly collectors, galleries, and artists who may have been impacted by the gallery’s operations. With high-value pieces from artists like Emily Carr involved, the case underscores the vulnerabilities that can exist in art transactions.
For many art collectors, the investigation has raised concerns about the potential for fraud in the art world, particularly when it comes to dealing with private galleries and dealers. The seizure of such a vast collection of artworks has also led to questions about the management and oversight of valuable art pieces, as well as the importance of transparency and trust in the industry.
As the case continues to unfold in court, it will likely serve as a cautionary tale for collectors and galleries alike, highlighting the need for due diligence in the sale and appraisal of high-value artworks.
While much of the seized artwork has been returned, the full scale of the alleged fraud is still being unraveled. Lucyshyn’s upcoming court appearances will be closely watched, not only by the legal community but also by the wider art world, as it navigates the fallout from one of Canada’s most significant art fraud cases in recent memory.
Art collectors and individuals who believe they may have been affected by this case are encouraged to contact the Saanich Police Department to inquire about any unclaimed pieces. Additionally, the case serves as a reminder for anyone involved in high-value art transactions to work with reputable dealers and to keep thorough documentation of all transactions.
As with any investment, whether in art or other ventures, it is crucial to be cautious and informed. Art fraud can devastate personal collections and finances, but by taking steps to verify authenticity, provenance, and the reputation of dealers, collectors can help safeguard their valuable pieces.
