Exhibition traces history of skateboarding, icon of urban culture
Barcelona, Jan 13 (EFE).- An exhibition in Barcelona traces the history of skateboarding, displaying the evolution of the sport from a toy in the 1940s to an Olympic sport and icon of urban culture of the 21st century.
“Wood and wheels: the history of skateboarding” showcases over 250 unique pieces, the majority from Sören Manzoni’s collection, founder of the first skateboarding museum in Spain and one of the biggest skateboard collectors in Europe.
Visitors can enjoy unique pieces and themed, interactive stations as well as magazine covers, posters and countless objects related to the sport.
Among the standout pieces are the skateboard used to film Back to the Future, the one Tony Hawk left on his latest trip to Barcelona and the board and uniform Danny León wore at the Tokyo 2020 games.
The tour begins in the 40s and 50s, with a selection of some of the oldest pieces of Manzoni’s collection including handmade skateboards made by children themselves to play in the street. Today, these skateboards are worth up to 8,000 euros.
“In the seventies the revolution began and the skate fever broke out,” Manzoni tells Efe, standing next to skateboards from pioneering brands like Vecar and Sancheski.
The exhibition closes with a futuristic note, featuring a pinball machine illustrated with images from the movie ‘Back to the Future’ and a flying scooter toy.
Skateboarding was born in California but Barcelona is currently the world capital, according to Manzoni. EFE
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