''The Hillclimber'' is a public artwork by American artist

Jeff Decker Jeff Decker is a sculptor and historian who is known for his bronze sculptures, the most notable of which is titled "By the Horns" (also known as ''The Hill Climber''), a 16-foot-tall, 5,000-pound bronze located on the grounds of the Harley-Dav ...

located on the grounds of the

Harley-Davidson Museum The Harley-Davidson Museum is an American museum located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin celebrating the more than 100-year history of Harley-Davidson motorcycles. The three-building complex on along the Menomonee River bank contains more than 450 Har ...

, which is in

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at th ...

, United States.

Description

''The Hillclimber'' is a 5,000 pound bronze welded sculpture that stands 16 feet tall and was created by Jeff Decker. Decker is a Utah-based artist, historian and Harley enthusiast. This sculpture is an enlarged life and 1/2 size of his original called, ''By the Horns''; a sculpture referencing the similarities of bull riding and the sport hill climbing.OnMilwaukee.com Milwaukee Buzz: Your thoughts on the Hill climber biker?
/ref> This was a somewhat collaborative piece done with painter David Uhl, another artist licensed by Harley-Davidson. The rider is shown participating in a sport called hillclimbing, popular in the 1920s and 30s. The figure is free of fear in his eyes as one foot is being swept off the bike and his right arm extends backwards."He is crashing," Decker said of the helmet less young rider. "But every hillclimber crashes. It's part of the race." Hillclimbers were known to race up hills nicknamed the “widow maker” because of the danger and high rate of injury involved in this sport. The sculpture portrays a vintage Harley rider frozen in a skyward wheelie on a DAH bike, one of only six in the world. A documentation to the artist's friendship with Willie and Nancy Davidson can be seen on the gear drive that is inscribed with "Willie G."

Historical information

This sculpture can be found on the Founders Terrace of the Harley-Davidson Museum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.Harley museum opens Saturday - JSOnline
/ref> The sculpture is located on the most visible part of the museum's site. The piece was a gift from the family of

Willie G. Davidson William Godfrey "Willie G." Davidson (born 1933) is an American businessman and motorcycle designer, and the former senior vice president & chief styling officer of Harley-Davidson Motor Company. He was also the head of Harley-Davidson's Willie ...

, a senior vice president and chief styling officer at Harley who is the grandson of one of the company founders, William A. Davidson. Willie and Nancy Davidson saw the original ''By the Horns'' sculpture and commissioned an enlarged duplicate to donate to the Harley-Davidson Museum.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hill Climber 2008 establishments in Wisconsin 2008 sculptures Bronze sculptures in Wisconsin Harley-Davidson Outdoor sculptures in Milwaukee Sculptures of men in Wisconsin Statues in Wisconsin