The Petersen Automotive Museum will kick off a new exhibit focusing on the art of a new generation of motorcycle customizers April 1. Entitled “Custom Revolution,” the exhibit will bring together pieces by some of the most influential and innovative alternative bike builders of the past decade for the very first time.
Motorcycle historian and author Paul d’Orleans will guest-curate “Custom Revolution,” which celebrates visionaries riding the very edges of motorcycle design. The exhibit will feature roughly 25 bikes by different builders. Notable bikes include Glemseck 101 winner “E-Lisabad,” an electric dragster built by Krautmotors in 2017 from a BMW scooter chassis; “Black” by Falcon Motorcycles, built in 2014 and based on the 1952 Vincent Black Shadow; and the “Rondine” by Medaza Cycles, winner of the AMD World Championship of Custom Bike Building.
“At the Petersen, it is our utmost goal to embrace and foster creativity—especially when it comes to automobiles,” said Petersen Executive Director Terry L. Karges. “Because we’ve built exhibits around the art of four-wheeled vehicles many times, we believe it’s the perfect time to recognize a global phenomenon in the form of the custom bike revolution. This new exhibit will celebrate the international trendsetters of this movement while delivering a definite nod to L.A. culture.”
To get this great exhibit off to an exciting start, the Petersen will hold an opening reception Friday, April 13 at 7 PM. The reception will feature live entertainment, gourmet food and specialty cocktails served in the museum’s Penthouse, and will wrap up with a panel featuring board member Richard Varner, actor Keanu Reeves, guest curator Paul d’Orleans, Jay Leno, automotive journalist Charles Fleming, and founding chairman Bruce Meyer.
To learn more about the reception or to purchase tickets, please visit https://petersentickets.org/products/custom-revolution. For more information about the Petersen Automotive Museum, please visit www.Petersen.org.