{{short description|American sculptor}} {{Distinguish|Jaff Decker}} {{Use mdy dates|date=April 2020}} {{Infobox person | name = Jeff Decker | image = Jeff-decker-riding-shot.jpg | caption = Jeff Decker | other_names = | known_for = Bronze sculptures, The Hill Climber | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1966|6|14}} | birth_place = Torrance, California | alma_mater = Brigham Young University | spouse = Kelly Lei Decker | occupation = Sculptor | website ={{URL|jeffdeckerstudio.com}} }}
'''Jeff Decker''' is a sculptor and historian who is known for his bronze sculptures, the most notable of which is titled "By the Horns" (also known as ''The Hill Climber''), a 16-foot-tall, 5,000-pound bronze located on the grounds of the Harley-Davidson Museum.<ref>{{cite web|last=Schmid|first=John|title=Capturing the Harley Spirit|url=http://www.jsonline.com/business/29451219.html|publisher=Journal Sentinel|accessdate=March 3, 2011}}</ref> His bronze-cast sculptures depicting the synergy of man and modern machines, particularly historic motorcycles, is known in both the motorcycling community and the world of fine art.<ref>{{cite web|last=Morgan|first=Felicia|title=Rider's Spotlight: Jeff Decker|url=http://www.motorcyclecannonball.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=117&Itemid=93|publisher=Cannonball Endurance Run|accessdate=March 3, 2011}}</ref> {{As of|2009}}, Decker was Harley-Davidson's official sculptor.<ref name="Autoweek">{{cite news|last=Migliore|first=Greg|title=Elvis immortalized on bronze Harley|url=http://www.autoweek.com/article/20090226/CARNEWS/902269985|newspaper=Autoweek|date=February 26, 2009|access-date=March 3, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121013010611/http://www.autoweek.com/article/20090226/CARNEWS/902269985|archive-date=October 13, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref>
== Professional background == Decker is the son of Allen and Lana Decker. Steeped in the southern California car culture of the 1960s, Decker learned the ways of his father.<ref>{{cite web|title=Interview: Jeff Decker|date=October 29, 2010 |url=http://www.bikeexif.com/jeff-decker|publisher=Bike Exif|accessdate=March 3, 2011}}</ref> An intense collector, Decker's father owned one of the area's largest flathead speed equipment collections.{{citation needed|date=March 2011}}
Working full-time at a bronze casting foundry, Decker's first idea was to capture Man's quest for speed in all vehicles. His first sculpture was a 1924 Miller Indy car. Next came the Baby Bootlegger, a 1922 world record-holding speedboat.<ref>{{cite web|title=Jeff Decker: Artist, Historian, Motorhead|url=http://www.motohistory.net/news2004/news_mar04.html|work=Ed Youngblood's Motohistory|accessdate=March 3, 2011}}</ref>
On display at Bob Dron Harley-Davidson located in Oakland, California, Decker created a life-size bronze statue from a famous photograph of Joe Petrali showing him astride a Harley Streamliner, taken during Petrali's historic 136 mile per hour record setting run at Daytona on March 13, 1937.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Davis|first=Miles|title=Joe Petrali: Hometown Hero|journal=Walneck's Classic Cycle Trader|date=January 2007|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Z9Q8DBbYLU4C&pg=PA127|page=127|publisher=Dominion Enterprises|location=Woodridge, IL|issn=1051-8088|oclc=22125719}}</ref> and is the only bronze sculpture artist licensed by Harley-Davidson to replicate their products. Decker also created a five-foot-tall, about 1,000-pound bronze of Elvis with a Harley-Davidson motorcycle he owned, a 1956 KHK model.<ref name="Autoweek" />
== Bronze Sculptures == {| class="wikitable sortable" |- ! Name !! Year !! Size !! Weight |- | The 1924 Miller 91 Indy Car || 1994 || 26″ × 12″ × 12″ || 60 pounds |- | The Baby Bootlegger || 1995 || 42″ × 12″ × 8″ || 60 pounds |- | The Flying Merkel || 1997 || 22″ × 13″ × 8″ || 55 pounds |- | Jim Davis Trophy Bust || 1998 || 18″ × 6″ × 6″ || 20 pounds |- | The 1915 Cyclone || 1998 || 22″ × 13″ × 8″ || 55 pounds |- | Flat Out at Bonneville || 1999 || 42″ × 12″ × 32″ || 300 pounds |- | Tilt & Turns || 1999 || 24" x 24" x 12" || 75 pounds |- | The 1916 Big Valve Excelsior || 2000 || 22″ × 13″ × 8″ || 55 pounds |- | The 1912 Indian Big Base 8 valve racer || 2000 || 22″ × 13″ × 8″ || 55 pounds |- | The 1916 8 Valve Harley-Davidson works racer || 2000 || 22″ × 13″ × 8″ || 55 pounds |- | Neck and neck with Death || 2000 || 7’ x 2’ x 2’ || 300 pounds |- | The Bullet 1/2 scale || 2001 || 44″ × 28″ × 28″ || 300 pounds |- | The Bullet 1/4 scale || 2002 || 22″ × 14″ × 14″ || 50 pounds |- | Slant Artist || 2003 || 18″ × 14″ × 28″ || 20 pounds |- | Petrali || 2003 || 7′ × 2′ × 4′ || 800 pounds |- | Petrali/Marquette-size || 2004 || 18″ × 8″ × 10″ || 25 pounds |- | Harley-Davidson's 1000+4 || 2004 || 18″ × 8″ × 12″ || 20 pounds |- | Ruby || 2005 || 18″ × 8″ × 12″ || 25 pounds |- | Daytona || 2006 || 28″ × 22″ × 13″ || 60 pounds |- | West Was Won || 2007 || 36″ × 20″ × 18″ || 110 pounds |- | The King and his Ride || 2007 || 18″ × 8″ × 12″ || 30 pounds |- | By the Horns (The Hill Climber) || 2008 || 9′ × 5′ × 18′ || 5 tons |}
== References == {{Reflist}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Decker, Jeff}} Category:Motorcycle builders Category:20th-century American sculptors Category:Living people Category:1966 births Category:People from Torrance, California Category:21st-century American sculptors