Tour de France jock Lance Armstrong can’t just ride any old bike. After coasting through the Giro d’Italia on a Shepard Fairey-designed set of wheels, Bloomberg is reporting that Armstrong tweeted yesterday that he was “speechless” upon seeing the Trek Madone that artist Damien Hirst worked on for him. Will the bike get the same diamond treatment Hirst gave to his famous skull? It’s unclear as of now. The race is currently on its fourth leg, and Armstrong plans to unveil the Hirst-acle before the end. After the jump, check out our list of strange bedfellows, a la Armstrong and Hirst, who we think would produce brilliant collaborations.
– Something tells us that Chuck Close would design lovely geek glasses for nerd-chic celebs.
– Kanye West isn’t quite up to Lagerfeld levels of design greatness (yet), but we think his personality would mesh well enough with sprinter Usain Bolt‘s to produce a fly (and aerodynamic) pair of kicks.
– Obama — a big fan of contemporary art — could support one of photography’s front runners by having Catherine Opie take the First Family’s portrait.
– Oprah and Jenny Holzer could team up on a daily calendar of 365 inspirational sayings.
What unlikely art/culture collabs would you like to see?