We are showing you the US version of our site: would you prefer
a different location? 2009 not only celebrates the centenary of
the Giro d’Italia, it also marks the 100th anniversary of
Futurism – an artistic movement that embraced the bicycle as a
symbol of dynamic modernity. The Tate Modern in London is
currently holding an exhibition to celebrate the work of the
Futurists. 1909 was the year that F.T. Marinetti’s Futurist
Manifesto was published. This declaration of a new cultural
movement inspired by contemporary industry, communications and
the machine proclaimed a burning desire to race into the future.
Marinetti wrote; “we want no part of the past”, expressing the
Futurist’s rejection of the staid, classical culture of the 19th
century and rejoicing in modern life and its progression into
the future. Fascinated with the “dynamics of existence” and
revolting against the old static modes of existence, the Italian
Futurists called for a new aesthetic language appropriate for
modern times. The speed of tech