Antique & Vintage Bicycles Bring Flood of Memories

Like many people, I remember my very first bike. We were living in Vineland, New Jersey and I was in first grade at the time. My brother in law, who was a wiz at all things mechanical, purchased a used Schwinn bike for me. He made it look very nice by spray painting it black and white and the wheels were those thick knobby type with the white walls. Thinking about it brought back some awesome memories of my younger days flying down the street in front of little house on Elmer Street, with my brother in law and sister looking on. But what actually spurned these memories was an article that I read online the other day about a vintage bike shop.

Landmark Vintage Bicycles in New York City has a wide array of restored vintage bicycles made by the legendary Schwinn and Raleigh companies. According to a company profile, Landmark is owned by Chung Pai who is a bicycle enthusiast himself. Most of his clientele are not professional cyclists, but people like me, with nostalgia on their mind; People drawn to all things old and antique and to bicycles that remind us of our youth, with curvy lines, big whitewall tires and the little bell on the handlebars. I don’t remember whatever happened to the old bike, but I sure wish I would have kept it.

Prices for an antique or vintage bike can range from a few dollars for one that is not restored, to thousands of dollars for bikes that have been fully restored to their original condition. At Landmark Vintage Bicycles, old bikes are going for anywhere from $175 to over $1000 for an antique, 1930, Bridgestone bicycle. Each of the bikes in the shop is restored to their original condition and they also sell a wide array of accessories consistent with the time periods. The Schwinn Stingray bike pictured on the right recently sold on eBay for more than $700.

Basquiat Painting to be Sold by Christie’s International in NY

On November 12, 2008, Christie's International in New York is going to auction off an eight foot wide painting by Jean-Michael Basquiat “Untitled (Boxer)” portrait. The painting, which the artist painted in 1982 belongs to the drummer for the heavy metal band Metallica, Lars Ulrich. Basquiat first came to the attention of art connoisseurs in the 1980’s after as successful showing at a local show in New York City.

Jean-Michael Basquiat, whose mother was Puerto Rican and father was Haitian, dropped out of high school in the mid-1970’s and later became renowned in Manhattan for his graffiti art, which he sprayed on buildings. In the mid-1980’s, after the triumphant show in Manhattan, an article in Artforum by Rene Picard brought international recognition and he was able to exhibit his art at many solo exhibitions both nationally and internationally. As a member of the Neo-Expressionist movement, Basquiat collaborated with many artist of that genre including the great Andy Warhol.

Basquiat reportedly died of a drug overdose in 1988 at the young age of 28, full of talent and promise. His paintings have been known to bring in millions at auction. At a Sotheby’s auction last year, a full length self portrait brought in more than $14.6 million. Experts estimate that this boxer painting will bring in $15 to $20 million.

Charles Rohlfs – Arts & Crafts Movement

I was reading an old article the other day about a chair that was sold by Cottone Auctions, near Rochester, New York. According to the article the chair which was expected to bring in about $30,000 at auction was actually sold for close to $200,000. Normally, this would not have been unusual if it had been a chair made by Stickley, Wright or Morris, but the maker of the chair was Charles Rohlfs. What intrigued me more was that the article said that Rohlfs was originally from the west side of Buffalo, in the same area where I grew up. I had never heard of him, so I started doing a little research and found an interesting story.

Charles Rohlfs (1853-1936) was born in Brooklyn and studied at Cooper Union and after graduation did some acting. According to some published reports, his acting was awful and he received horrifying reviews from the press. However as a result he met Anna Katherine Green, at the time a best selling crime novelist who was seven years his senior. Before his father in law agreed to their marriage, Rohlfs first had to give up acting. We don’t know how true that may be, but they married in 1884, moved to Buffalo, New York and soon thereafter Rohlfs began designing furniture.

Being one of the most creative craftsmen of the Art & Crafts movement, Rohlfs designs were a bit off when compared to the works of other famous makers of that movement. While others were using simple lines, Rohlfs was using simple lines ornamented with carvings and a mix of styles that set him apart from the rest. Working in the attic of his home at 26 Highland Avenue, Rohlfs created some of the most sophisticated yet creative furniture of the time. Rohlfs then built a mission style home at 156 Park Street in Buffalo, opened a furniture design studio and became world renowned for his abilities. In the early 1900’s, Rohlfs was made a member of the Royal Society of the Arts in London, and later commissioned to provide chairs for Buckingham Palace.

Charles Rohlfs artistic flair and individualistic design can be seen at his mission style home in Buffalo as well as an upcoming 2009 exhibition that will be traveling around the country.