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Leroy Neiman’s
“Ali -- Athlete of the
Century”
(Note: Piece shown in optional black frame)
2008
Serigraph-Double Signed
Image size 42" x 28"
A limited edition of 850 numbered impressions; hand signed by the artist
Only 500 Remarques
In this special print, the undisputed champion of the art of
sports pays homage to Muhammad Ali, frequently cited as the one of the most
widely-recognized people throughout the world, admired and respected for his
accomplishments in the boxing ring and beyond.
Throughout his long career, LeRoy Neiman has painted dozens of
sports legends including Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, Wayne Gretzky, Michael Jordan
and even Secretariat. In the featured serigraph the artist not only adds
Muhammad Ali to this illustrious list, but places him first with the
designation, Athlete of the Century.
The serigraph derives from the artist's recent larger-than-life
oil painting of Ali, based on sketches made in 1964. This was the transition
period when then Cassius Clay changed his name to Muhammad Ali. It was also the
time of Ali's two historic fights with Sonny Liston in which he first took the
heavyweight championship from Liston, and then defended his title in a decisive
first-round knock out. This is Ali as he looked at the age of 22, a new champion
just coming into his prime. The print bursts with color and vitality and brings
to life the Ali who, as was frequently said, "floats like a butterfly and stings
like a bee."
Neiman recalls that his association with Muhammad Ali dates back
to 1962. The artist met the fighter in the dressing room in the St. Nicholas
Arena in New York City, before Clay defeated Billy Daniels. Neiman sketched the
young heavyweight sitting on the rubbing table. Clay immediately showed his own
interest in art by asking to make a drawing of himself at the bottom of Neiman's
drawing. This was the beginning of a long relationship between the artist and
the prize fighter. The artist frequently sketched and painted the athlete in
training and at his major bouts around the world, constantly sketching, drawing
and painting. Ali often took up the brush himself, and did a number of
prediction drawings for Neiman before big fights.
Neiman says, "All of my experiences and observations of Ali are
summed up in this portrait. This painting is for me the quintessential,
colorful, confident Ali. It shows his fighting face, with that theatrical flair,
that is so familiar to the world and epitomizes a career that extended to a
public far beyond the boxing ring. He was fast with his rhetoric and swift with
his fists, and the intent of the painting and print is to emphasize his
boundless energy."
With its combination of a great artist and a great athlete, this
serigraph is destined to be one of the artist's most significant works.
"Muhammad Ali - Athlete of the Century" will be treasured by Neiman collectors
and everyone who admires champions.
(Text Courtesy LeRoyNeiman.com)
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