British motorcycle manufacturer Triumph Motorcycles and London based street artist Dean Stockton- more commonly known as ‘D*Face’ have teamed up to create 3 one-off custom bikes as part of Triumph’s “Spirit of ’59” Project. Swapping his usual concrete canvases (and the occasional bank note) for motorcycles, each one based on a model from Triumph’s ‘Modern Classics’ range, the “New-brow” art icon has hand-painted each bike, at the Hinkley branch, with his own custom artworks; celebrating "the free spirited creativity of the late 50’s and 60’s”.

Paying homage to the eras that came before him, and taking influence from the likes of Roy Lichtenstein & Andy Warhol here are the D*Face X Triumph trio:

Having owned a number of Triumph bikes himself, D*Face aka Dean Stockton has somewhat of an admiration for the brand and for motorcycles in general. With his work reflective of the revolutionary pop-art and punk movements of the 60’s and onwards, it channels that wave of individualism that comes with life on two wheels.

Before his rise into popular culture in 2005, D*Face began curating what he describes as a ‘dysfunctional world’ -an escapism from the monotonous 9-5. His creations that began life hidden away in a folder labelled “Not Suitable for Visual Consumption”, soon made their way onto hand-drawn stickers and posters that were stuck all over the streets of London for the unknowing public to discover.

Today his work defaces the walls & billboards of “media saturated” cities from LA- Tokyo and sells for thousands of pounds at a time.

It’s been 59 years since the year of 1959- the period that marked the beginning of a cultural revolution within music, art and society. From the late 50’s/ 60’s post-war attitudes and ideals of freedom and individualism grew- inspiring the birth of rock ’n’ roll musicians such as Elvis Presley, anti-consumerism artists such as Andy Warhol and a new generation of independent thinkers.

This milestone year also saw the release of the iconic ’59 Triumph Bonneville. Everything about the Bonneville captured the zeitgeist of the era- motorcycles equalled freedom. Soon the bikes entered the world of Hollywood with actors & musicians such as Marlon Brando in ‘The Wild One’, Steve McQueen in ‘The Great Escape’, James Dean, Elvis and Bob Dylan all seen riding Triumphs. And with that, a whole new motorcycle movement emerged- mirroring this new found reluctance to stand still.