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Muhammad Ali by Andy Warhol
ANDY WARHOL |MUHAMMAD ALI
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ANDY WARHOL (1928 – 1987)Muhammad Ali, 1978
Portfolio of four screenprints on Strathmore Bristol paper 40 x 30 inches (101.6 x 76.2 cm) Edition: 150, 10 Ap, 1 PP Signed and numbered in felt pen lower right, except II.179 - lower left
Printer: Rupert Jasen Smith, New York Publisher: Andy Warhol Enterprises, Inc., New York
LITERATURE:Feldman & Schellmann II.179-182NOTES:
Based on photographs by Andy Warhol. Stamped in black on verso, © Andy Warhol Enterprises, Inc. 1978. Bears the printer’s chop mark and papermaker’s watermark. Warhol made paintings of these subjects.
In 1977, Andy Warhol received a commission from the art collector and sports enthusiast, Richard Weisman to create a sports figures, among them Chris Evert, Pele, Dorothy Hamill, Jack Nicklaus, Kareem Abdul Jabaar. Muhammad Ali, 1978 was the first published edition portfolio depicting a sports figure, inspired by this commission.
By the time Warhol created Muhammad Ali, he was himself enough of a celebrity that, rather than rely on the found images that had been his source material earlier in his career, he was able to photograph the boxer in person.
Executed in 1978, Warhol's picture of Muhammad Ali shows the boxer at the height of his fame. At that point he was - for the third time - the World Boxing Association Heavyweight Champion. After more than a decade of professional bouts, he remained able to stun his opponents with his agility, winning fight after fight. Warhol has chosen to portray this giant of boxing, this sporting hero, in a combative pose; the raised fists are the tools of his trade, the attributes, his only necessary paraphernalia - they are the raw materials with which the boxer made his name and reputation. Muhammad Ali is presented here as a Pop icon, a god of the modern age, a contemporary hero.
COSKUN ONLINE www.coskunfineart.com | info@coskunfineart.com
COSKUN ONLINE www.coskunfineart.com | info@coskunfineart.com
COSKUN ONLINE www.coskunfineart.com | info@coskunfineart.com
COSKUN ONLINE www.coskunfineart.com | info@coskunfineart.com
COSKUN ONLINE www.coskunfineart.com | info@coskunfineart.com
