Danny Lyon: The Bikeriders

IMAGE: Danny Lyon, USA. Schererville, Indiana. 1965. Sparky and Cowboy (Gary Rogues). © Danny Lyon/Magnum Photos.

SAN ANTONIO — Danny Lyon photographed members of the Chicago–based motorcycle gang, the Outlaws, in the mid-1960s while attending the University of Chicago. But he didn’t just document the gang; he joined it, obscuring the boundary between participant and observer. Published in 1967, the year

before the release of Easy Rider, Lyon’s book, The Bikeriders, transformed documentary photography while showing biker culture from the inside, as seen in the San Antonio Museum of Art’s exhibition of 50 pictures from the series, all recent

or promised gifts.

Prone to rejection by conventional society, members of the Outlaws were unaccustomed to observation by discerning eyes. Countering dismissals that the gang members routinely experienced, Lyon humanized the Outlaws,

fleshing out this “degenerate” community in unexpected ways through family portraits, clubhouse scenes and images of social gatherings, casual exchanges and leisure time.

Lyon’s shooting style is varied. Sometimes his avant-garde grainy and blurred techniques mimic the unconventional subject matter

captured by the photographer’s lens. Other images in contrast, are sharp and concentrated, defining minute details of carefully–styled hair, the product labels of

objects resting atop a toilet

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tank in a bathroom, or cigarette butts ground into the floor.

In Big Barbara,

Chicago —

a surprisingly soft portrait of a female Outlaw — Barbara’s relaxed face gazes deeply into the glow of a jukebox’s illuminated menu as her head tilts slightly, allowing her soft, dark hair to graze her leather jacket’s rigid collar. In the Caravaggesque Brucie at the Stoplight Café, a seated man smoking a cigarette projects angelic and tranquil qualities as his attention focuses on his two friends standing to his right.

Funny Sonny, Packing with Zipco, Milwaukee promises speed and excitement attached to biker culture. Funny Sonny’s intimidating Hell’s Angels vest contrasts with his carefree, child-like expression. His gesturing hand grasps this experience, simultaneously sharing camaraderie between him and Lyon

as the wind whips through his hair, and surroundings blur behind him.

—VANESSA LANGTON

Danny Lyon: The Bikeriders
San Antonio Museum of Art
Sept. 6–Dec. 1