|
|
|
BMW Ducati Husqvarna Motorcycles of AtlantaYour leading BMW, Ducati, and Husqvarna dealer for the Southeast |
GS adventure for Guggenheim Motorcycle Club founder
One of the art world’s biggest names, Thomas Krens, recently packed his panniers and jumped on a BMW R 1200 GS Adventure for a trip from Munich to Venice. The former director of the New York-based Guggenheim Foundation has been ‘living life in the fast lane’ ever since he was named director of the foundation in 1988 and is currently undertaking the huge project of establishing a museum of modern and contemporary art in Abu Dhabi that will be designed by renowned architect Frank Gehry.
New York-born Krens picked up the R 1200 GS Adventure from BMW Motorrad in Munich and headed towards the northern Italian city. It was a rare solo trip for the 62-year-old who has been the driving force behind establishing the Guggenheim name as a global brand and bringing contemporary art to the masses. With museums in New York, Bilbao, Berlin, Las Vegas and Venice, Krens had no intention of arriving at the Italian outpost in the usual black limousine; instead opting to enjoy the ride south from Bavaria and then turning up in style in Italy on the iconic BMW R 1200 GS Adventure.
An avid motorcyclist, Krens is also the founder of the Guggenheim Motorcycle Club, which includes actors such as Laurence Fishburne, Dennis Hopper and Jeremy Irons among its Vice Presidents, and prospective celebrity members include Harrison Ford, Jack Nicholson, Lou Reed and Keanu Reeves. Just last summer Krens, Jeremy Irons and Dennis Hopper undertook a three-day ride from the Hermitage in St. Petersburg to the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts in Moscow.
Membership of the Guggenheim Motorcycle Club is limited to a select few who are committed to furthering the appreciation of art, motorcycles, travel and culture, and the club undertakes several rides each year in a variety of locations around the world, visiting some of the most important museums, collections, monuments and culturally significant locations - as well as experiencing great riding roads along the way!
Interestingly, the Guggenheim museum’s most popular exhibit to date has been the ‘Art of the Motorcycle’ exhibition, which premiered in 1999 in New York and then ‘travelled’ to various Guggenheim museums overseas, such as Las Vegas and Bilbao. It focussed on the beauty and celebrated the social significance of the motorcycle, and included examples of some of the most important and seminal machines in recent history, such as the legendary R 32 (BMW’s first motorcycle) of 1923; a 1937 493cc BMW Land Speed Record winning machine; a 1985 K 100 RS; a 1985 R 80 G/S Paris Dakar and a 1997 R 1200 C cruiser.
Thomas Krens’ passion for motorcycles is further highlighted by his 411-page The Art of the Motorcycle book, which makes great reading for those who weren’t lucky enough to visit any of the Guggenheim Museums to see the Art of the Motorcycle exhibits. Long before his Guggenheim days, as a student he rode his own BMW bike from France to Turkey where he took part in excavations. In New York he rides to work every day.
At nearly two metres (6'5") tall, it’s obvious why Krens’ favourite motorcycle is the big BMW R 1200 GS Adventure, which he finds both practical (due to its luggage carrying capacity) and exhilarating to ride. And while his day-to-day work involves overseeing the development of the most ambitious project ever undertaken by the Guggenheim foundation, Thomas’ free time is usually spent on two wheels, with good friends and fellow club riders, all searching for the joy of the open road and the unique camaraderie that motorcycling offers.