David Mann (painter)
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David Mann (September 10, 1940 – September 11, 2004) (also known as "Motorcycle") was an American artist famous for his paintings of motorcycles and biker culture. Most of his works have been for the motorcycle industry, especially for motorcycle magazines.
A native of Kansas City, Missouri, Mann began drawing and painting at an early age. His first passion was custom cars and his first job was as an automobile painter. After high school, he left Kansas City and settled in California where he became interested in motorcycles. He became immersed in biker culture and motorcycles supplanted cars in his artwork. In 1963, Mann brought some of his artwork to the Kansas City Custom Car Show. There a biker took an interest in his artwork and with his permission, forwarded it to Ed "Big Daddy" Roth, a pop artist who was then the publisher of one of the world's first custom motorcycle magazines, Choppers.
Roth loved the painting and purchased the rights to commission ten original posters. In 1971 he answered an advertisement in the back of a new motorcycle magazine called Easyriders asking for a "motorcycle artist"; after 1972 his artwork began appearing regularly in the magazine, and Mann's relationship with Easyriders would continue for the rest of his life. His art was reproduced as the magazine’s center spread beginning in 1973 and continued to be the publication's centerpiece until he was forced to retire in 2003 due to his failing health.
Mann's health began a slow decline in the early 2000s and by 2003 had deteriorated to the point where he could no longer work. Following this lengthy illness, Mann died in Kansas City just one day after his 64th birthday. Just before his death a custom motorcycle was commissioned in his honor from Orange County Choppers, to be featured in an episode of the reality television series American Chopper. The "David Mann Bike" featured custom artwork in Mann's style, but Mann died before it was completed. The vehicle served as a posthumous tribute to the artist, and his work was featured on the show.
