Muhammad Ali
Original artwork of this boxing legend.
Muhammad Ali is such a cultural icon that I just figure everyone knows about him but I bet there is a younger generation that doesn’t really know why he left his mark not only on boxing but on the world. He was a boxer, philanthropist and social activist who is universally regarded as one of the greatest athletes of the 20th century. Ali became an Olympic gold medalist in 1960 and the world heavyweight boxing champion in 1964.
Originally born Cassius Clay, he was the heavy weight champion of the world but lost his boxing license for refusing military service in Vietnam. “My conscience won’t let me go shoot my brother, or some darker people, or some poor hungry people in the mud for big powerful America. And shoot them for what? They never called me n————-, they never lynched me, they didn’t put no dogs on me, they didn’t rob me of my nationality, rape and kill my mother and father. … Shoot them for what? How can I shoot them poor people? Just take me to jail.” He was sentenced to 5 yrs in jail in the prime of his boxing career which was said to cost him millions of dollars. Got to respect him for taking his stance. He then became an anti-war leader and spoke at many rallies and campus around the U.S.
Ali reclaimed the heavyweight title two more times during the 1970s, winning famed bouts against Joe Frazier and George Foreman along the way. Never short of words and the media loved him, he became and icon and a legend not only in the ring but outside of it too.
Check some of the documentaries and movies (featuring Will Smith as Ali) to get a good taste on why he is the legend that he is.
This is the second of a “Legends” series that I am working on which will mix icons with texture, colour, and typography. All of my favourite things.
This was created on wood panel in acrylic, spray paint, pencil, and ink.
Size: 36” x 36” x 2”
$2750 AVAILABLE
