The Hill Climber facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Hillclimber |
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| Artist | Jeff Decker |
| Year | June 2008 |
| Dimensions | 4.9 m (16 ft) |
| Location | Harley-Davidson Museum, Milwaukee |
| 43°01′52.66″N 87°54′56.56″W / 43.0312944°N 87.9157111°W | |
| Owner | Harley-Davidson Museum |
The Hillclimber is a large public artwork by American artist Jeff Decker. You can find it at the Harley-Davidson Museum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States.
Contents
What is The Hillclimber Sculpture?
The Hillclimber is a huge sculpture made from bronze. It weighs about 5,000 pounds (over 2,200 kilograms) and stands 16 feet (about 4.8 meters) tall! Jeff Decker, the artist, created this amazing piece. He is from Utah and loves history and Harley-Davidson motorcycles.
What Does the Sculpture Show?
The sculpture shows a classic Harley-Davidson motorcycle rider. The rider is frozen in time, doing a "wheelie" straight up into the sky. The motorcycle is a special DAH bike, which is very rare, with only six of them existing in the world.
What Inspired This Artwork?
This big sculpture is an enlarged version of Decker's earlier work called By the Horns. That first sculpture showed how the sport of hill climbing is a lot like bull riding. Hill climbing is a motorcycle sport where riders race up very steep hills. These hills were sometimes called "widow makers" because the sport was very challenging and risky.
Hidden Details in The Hillclimber
If you look closely at the sculpture, you'll see a special message. The gear drive on the motorcycle has "Willie G." written on it. This is a tribute to Willie G. Davidson, who was a good friend of the artist.
Where is The Hillclimber Located?
You can find The Hillclimber on the Founders Terrace at the Harley-Davidson Museum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It's placed in a spot where many visitors can easily see it.
Who Donated The Hillclimber?
This impressive sculpture was a gift to the museum from the family of Willie G. Davidson. Willie G. was a very important person at Harley-Davidson. He was a senior vice president and the chief styling officer. He was also the grandson of one of the company's founders, William A. Davidson.
Willie and his wife, Nancy Davidson, saw Jeff Decker's original By the Horns sculpture. They loved it so much that they asked Decker to create a much larger version. This bigger sculpture was then donated to the Harley-Davidson Museum for everyone to enjoy.
