BAR2 Lot n° 21

BAR2 JOE BAR TEAM Volume 5, Vents d'Ouest, 2003 Connasse !!!, original plate no. 13. Signed. India ink and white gouache on paper 40.8 × 52.7 cm (16.06 × 20.75 in.) In some respects, this plate is reminiscent of the one we presented earlier, showing a frightened Édouard reciting his prayers behind an attacking Jean Manchzeck on his Norton. At the end of the commentary introducing this batch, Bar2 said, "The most reckless bikers are capable of the greatest cowardice when they're not the ones holding the handlebars." But could we find out more about this curious phenomenon? "I've observed that there are two kinds of passenger on a motorcycle: the confident and the worried. In general, the confident are either people who have never ridden a motorcycle and don't perceive the dangers, or people who do but have never had an accident. Worriers, too, fall into two categories: those who, although they've never ridden a motorcycle, suspect that it's not the safest of machines; and bikers with a penchant for "sporty" riding, whose fads have sometimes landed them in hospital. And, of course, Edouard and his colleagues fall into this category. At the cost of a few broken bones, they've learned to spot and avoid most of the pitfalls of the road and traffic, and if they're not afraid to face them head-on when they're at the handlebars, they fear them to the utmost when they're just passengers. Because they see danger everywhere and trust only in themselves. That's why I said earlier that, on a motorcycle, there's no more anxious passenger than a fearless biker."