Lot 45
Muhammad Ali (1942-2016)
5 October 2021, 13:00 EDT
New YorkSold for US$150,312.50 inc. premium
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Muhammad Ali (1942-2016)
I Love You America, 1979
Acrylic on canvas, with miniature Stars and Stripes flag
Signed lower right "Muhammad Ali" and dated "Feb 1-19-79"
Framed
According to Rodney Hilton Brown: "And so, by 1979-1980 Ali's patriotism and attitude toward his country had come full-circle. In the 1960s and early 1970s, Ali's fight for social justice outside the ring had made him an "Enemy of the State." It had brought him, enemies, from the left and the right, made him hated, reviled, and almost sent him to prison. But through it all, Ali stood his ground and "took nothing from nobody." But in doing so he had won something more than just boxing matches - he had won the heart and respect of the nation and - indeed, of the world...Ali conquered and changed America, and as a result, America changed Ali...Indeed, in the end, his direct, penultimate, unmistakable, unequivocal message painted in red, white, and blue Flag colors, on February 1, 1979, spells his recognition and appreciation of this in the simple words: "I LOVE YOU AMERICA."
Provenance: From the Collection of Rodney Hilton Brown, formerly President of Hilton Fine Arts, Ltd., publisher of Muhammad Ali's limited edition silkscreen prints, 1978.
Literature: BROWN, Rodney Hilton, Muhammad Ali: The Untold Story: Painter, Poet & Prophet, Fairhaven, MA: The War Museum Press, 2021, p. 77, 175-178 (illus.)
Frame: 13 1/2 x 17 1/2 in.
Acrylic on canvas, with miniature Stars and Stripes flag
Signed lower right "Muhammad Ali" and dated "Feb 1-19-79"
Framed
According to Rodney Hilton Brown: "And so, by 1979-1980 Ali's patriotism and attitude toward his country had come full-circle. In the 1960s and early 1970s, Ali's fight for social justice outside the ring had made him an "Enemy of the State." It had brought him, enemies, from the left and the right, made him hated, reviled, and almost sent him to prison. But through it all, Ali stood his ground and "took nothing from nobody." But in doing so he had won something more than just boxing matches - he had won the heart and respect of the nation and - indeed, of the world...Ali conquered and changed America, and as a result, America changed Ali...Indeed, in the end, his direct, penultimate, unmistakable, unequivocal message painted in red, white, and blue Flag colors, on February 1, 1979, spells his recognition and appreciation of this in the simple words: "I LOVE YOU AMERICA."
Provenance: From the Collection of Rodney Hilton Brown, formerly President of Hilton Fine Arts, Ltd., publisher of Muhammad Ali's limited edition silkscreen prints, 1978.
Literature: BROWN, Rodney Hilton, Muhammad Ali: The Untold Story: Painter, Poet & Prophet, Fairhaven, MA: The War Museum Press, 2021, p. 77, 175-178 (illus.)
Frame: 13 1/2 x 17 1/2 in.