Exhibition in Geneva: The bicycle plays the little queens at the Rath Museum

There was no shortage of it! On my way to Place Neuve, I almost got hit by a bike. Another Geneva cyclist who considers himself a king of the road. No more question with this breed of priorities. These people have all the rights. Thanks to the green and pink parties, they are part of modern heroes. Those who protect their carbon footprint. Pedestrians just have to let themselves be crushed, like puree or coulis. I hope that not all people on two wheels are like that. However, today’s worst drivers no longer drive cars… (1)

This preamble in the form of a rush of blood was necessary in my opinion before talking about the new exhibition at the Rath Museum, precisely entitled “Bicycle”. We talk about “balances in motion”, those of pedestrians counting for butter. This is a co-production between the Museum of Art and History (MAH), which has several velocipedes, large bis or balance bikes, and Geneva institutions dedicated to science. The primary goal was of course to succeed in a popular demonstration, but there is a barely veiled message underneath. The whole thing powerfully smacks of propaganda for soft mobility. Next to his foreword, Sami Kanaan poses in a photo next to a bicycle. With helmet, of course. Smart heads protect themselves. However, I have never seen our Minister of Culture on such a machine, unlike his former colleague Rémy Pagani, who pedaled for a party that was less bobo and more to the left. I would like to point out to you that today there are bicycles for 15,000 francs.

How to approach a theme as abundant since the end of the 19th century as two wheels? Three commissioners asked the question. They are Laurence-Isaline Stahl Gretsch, Julien Barberat and Alexandre Fiette. They had to address the technical, economic, social and sporting aspects of the vehicle. Between the first tests of a wooden means of transport and the bicycle as we know it, there have been multiple innovations. Not the least of which is the chain turning two wheels of equal size. These machines also gave birth to a flourishing industry in all countries, before Westerners without any qualms abandoned the market to the Chinese. The current presentation thus manifests a belated bad conscience. Before becoming politically correct, the bike also characterized the working class. Just look at old photos. Finally there were the sports competitions. Geneva has not had fewer than three velodromes since 1892. A quick word is said in passing about the Tour de Suisse. Nothing, it seemed to me, on the Tour de Romandie.

The emphasis is placed in the two floors of the Rath Museum on Swiss production, and if possible local. It should be noted that it had its heyday, before being swept away by tsunami-like Asian competition. In 1993, at the Geneva “bike pound”, the “little queens” still remained largely Swiss, with a few Italian, French or German specimens. In 2023, almost all came from the phagocytizing continent. Motosacoche still holds its own in our city, with high-end models. The other brands faded and then disappeared. I was thus able to read in the enormous (and above all very heavy) catalog the edifying history of the factory of my Van Leisen cousins. It has not given any sign of life since 1966, when it offered good products as proven by a photographic report from 1942 signed by Max Kettel. And as for accessories, are there still Lucifer headlights “produced since 1910”? It’s evil, but I don’t think so.

After having tried as best they could to make all these themes coexist peacefully, it remained for the trio of commissioners to give them a form. In my opinion, this is where things really went wrong. First of all, there are far too many objects and accessories at the Rath, many of them loaned by the Chippis Bicycle Museum, in Valais, or private collectors. Vehicles inevitably become visually parasitic. This defect is aggravated by abusive staging, for which the press kit does not indicate the culprit. It turns out to be phenomenally heavy, with an accumulation of metal cages serving as a base for a bicycle placed at the top. The visitor in me wondered if these were the remains of a poultry or dog exhibition. Or if the thing was to serve as a punishment for little visitors who are too noisy. These gray monsters unfortunately block any perspective. And I’m not telling you anything about the cartels, as if they were just placed on the ground. Almost illegible!

Things are not much better in the basement, proposed as a sort of large mechanical workshop, where it becomes even more a question of technique. It’s confused. Bushy. Profuse. The non-specialized public advances a little haphazardly. This impression of hesitation is found in the catalog, full of interesting contributions certainly, but a little disordered. It’s like written down on paper. If you want to see a real workshop, go to Jean Brun, 3, place du Cirque. This fan club store has resisted the multiple concentrations experienced by the profession. This hidden part is like a living museum. At the Rath, we would rather be in a dead museum.

(1) I wrote down the following sentence on a sign. “In its early days, cycling was prohibited in the city center of Geneva, because it was considered too dangerous for pedestrians.” Sigh…

Practical

“Bicycle, Balance in motion”, Rath Museum, place Neuve, Geneva, until October 13. Such. 022 418 33 40, website https://mahmah.ch Open Tuesday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. New schedule. Catalog published by Favre, 304 pages, 25 francs (which seems very cheap to me).

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Born in 1948, Etienne Dumont studied in Geneva which were of little use to him. Latin, Greek, law. A failed lawyer, he turned to journalism. Most often in the cultural sections, he worked from March 1974 to May 2013 at the “Tribune de Genève”, starting by talking about cinema. Then came fine arts and books. Other than that, as you can see, nothing to report.More informations

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