a group of 50 photographs from 'The Bikeriders,' each signed, 33 numbered, and each with the photographer's 'Bleak Beauty' stamp, dated in pencil, on the reverse, 1962-66, printed 2000-06 (50)

These prints are in generally excellent condition. There are occasional tiny deposits of original retouching on some of the images and very few small soft handling creases. On the reverse of 27 prints, there are small cloth tape remnants from prior hinges. Ten prints measure 18½ by 12½ in. or the reverse. Forty prints measure 10 by 10 in. to 9 by 13 in. or the reverse. These images are reproduced in 'The Bikeriders' (Twin Palms, 1997) on the cover and pp. 1-10, 12-17, 22-49, 111 and 117.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Danny Lyon first encountered the subculture of American bikers in the early 1960s while living in Hyde Park as a student at the University of Chicago.  Upon graduation in 1963, Lyon immersed himself in biker culture, joining the Chicago Outlaws and riding with them on his own motorcycle, a lumbering, single-carburetor 1956 Triumph, with his Nikon F camera in tow.  A selection of Lyon's photographs from this time illustrate The Bikeriders, originally published in 1968.  Lyon described this book, his first, as a photographic ode to '...the spirit of the bikerider: the spirit of the hand that twists open the throttle on the crackling engines of big bikes and rides them on racetracks or through traffic or, on occasion, into oblivion' (Bikeriders, IX).