Defeated Demo Driver, Wall Stadium
Artist
Danny Lyon
(American, born 1942)
Date1988
MediumGelatin silver print
DimensionsSupport: 10 × 8 in. (25.4 × 20.3 cm)
ClassificationsPhotograph
Credit LineGift of Jo Whaley and Greg Mac Gregor, 2025
Object number2025.15.4
DescriptionVertical composition, close view of side of car with driver’s window open and a young man leaning on edge of closed car door, his right hand outside the car and his left on the window edge, with his head resting on that hand. The car is heavily adorned with graffiti-style designs made with spray paint, two target-type patterns visible.eMuseum Notes
Photographer and filmmaker Danny Lyon is well known for his series “The Bikeriders,” a chronicle of 1960s motorcycle gang subculture. In the late 1980s he made another series about daredevil drivers called “The Pits.” He visited speedways close to home, primarily in New York and New Jersey, to photograph competitors in demolition derby racing. The sport involves intentional collisions intended to put other cars out of commission until only one vehicle remains. In this image, a driver takes an enforced break in his battle-scarred vehicle, having been knocked out of the running.
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