New MIAD exhibition honors late alumnus & Harley-Davidson licensed artist Mathew Hintz
MILWAUKEE… July 24, 2018 – The newest exhibit at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) celebrates the life and work of a late MIAD alumnus with strong ties to Harley-Davidson Motor Company. “Mathew Hintz: Spirit of the Open Road,” on view in MIAD’s Brooks Stevens Gallery August 8 – October 20, highlights the work of Mathew Hintz ’98 (Painting), a licensed Harley-Davidson Motor-Company artist who passed away unexpectedly in December 2017.
Admission is free, and the exhibit is open to the public, Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. – 5p.m. Related programming includes an Opening Reception, Thursday, August 23, 6 – 8 p.m.
The exhibition will also be open special extended hours during Harley-Davidson Motor Company’s 115th Anniversary Celebration in Milwaukee: Saturday, September 1, 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. and Sunday, September 2, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. The exhibit will be closed on Labor Day (Monday, September 3).
Hintz’s passion for motorcycles and transportation design began when he landed a Styling & Graphic Design internship with Harley-Davidson in 1998. His love of all things fueled by gas and oil is reflected in his impressionistic work that evokes the spirit of the cherished machines themselves or specific moments in time.
The opportunity to become a licensed artist for Harley-Davidson (and, later, Ford Images) “gave Mathew content and purpose behind his artwork,” said co-curator Adam Meurer, a fellow MIAD alum and Hintz’s former artist representative who has worked at Flux Design, Crescendo Collective and Pixel Black.
Hintz designed t-shirts, logos, graphics, medallions and other merchandise sold through Harley-Davidson dealerships That work is on view in the exhibit, along with a painting of the 2015 Road Glide motorcycle that was featured on the cover of HOG magazine, and another painting of the personal 1936 EL Knucklehead motorcycle of Willie G. Davidson, Harley-Davidson’s Chief Styling Officer Emeritus and grandson of the company founder.
Works in the exhibition are for sale, and proceeds will help support Hintz’s family. “Matt was an amazing talent, and we are proud to have the opportunity to have his life’s work displayed in a gallery setting,” said a Hintz family representative.
“He was proud to be a graduate of MIAD, and we could not think of a more appropriate way to showcase his achievements.”
