Robert, I remember the painting well. Cyclist sitting in the side box wearing a
red jersey... small french flag and a thermos on top... bikes parked at the
side. Late 1930s as I recall. I always liked that painting too. I always
wondered what the racer was thinking at the time... just staring straight a head with dark eyes in the painting.
I seem to recall once hearing that it was allegedly modeled on the famou s French racer Alfred Letourner, who was known as \u201cLe Diable Rouge \u201d for his favorite attire - a red jersey. But, I don't know if Hopper himself had eve r really confirmed this, although Hopper was indeed a bike racing fan who did
frequent the big races at Madison Square Garden during that era.
In the early 1940s Letourner would set a motor paced speed record behind
a race car... something around 108 mph.
So, How large is the original painting? I've only seen a number of reproductions - and in a multitude of sizes.
BOB HANSON, ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO, USA
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