Muhammad Ali: Speedball by Chris Smith

30 Cork St. London W1S 3NG

5-7 Dover St. London W1S 4LD

T: +44 (0)20 7287 7750

F: +44 (0)20 7287 7751

[email protected]

www.alonzakaim.com

CHRIS SMITH

MUHAMMAD ALI: SPEEDBALL

11 OCTOBER-23 NOVEMBER 2012

30 CORK ST. LONDON W1S 3NG

This publication coincides with the exhibition

CHRIS SMITH

MUHAMMAD ALI: SPEEDBALL

On view:

Thursday 11 October-Friday 23 November 2012

Alon Zakaim Fine Art

30 Cork St.

London W1S 3NG

Gallery opening hours:

Monday-Friday, 9am-6pm

Weekends by appointment only

© 2012 Alon Zakaim Fine Art/Chris Smith.

All rights reserved.

Front Cover: Speedball (detail)

Opposite Page: Between Rounds

MUHAMMAD ALI: SPEEDBALL

‘I am the greatest, I said that before I even knew I was’

Alon Zakaim Fine Art is proud to present Muhammad Ali: Speedball, our first solo show dedicated to the iconic imagery

of legendary British sports photographer Chris Smith. The exhibition, held in our Cork St gallery, will feature a selec-

tion of Smith’s most renowned shots of Muhammad Ali, images which reveal the complex personality of one of sport’s

most controversial and influential characters. The works portray the composure and confidence of the self-proclaimed

‘greatest’ boxer, as well as Ali’s wit, intelligence and theatrical personality in the staged shots.

For over thirty years, Chris Smith has been an influential and pivotal figure in the world of sports photography.

His iconic images have developed the art form to give greater narrative to each shot, capturing not only the skill and

strength of the athletes but also what drives them to succeed and the psychological characteristics they possess.

Beginning work with the Observer in 1970, Smith moved to the Sunday Times in 1976, where he was to work for

thirty years, covering virtually all the major sporting events of this period. His shots of Muhammad Ali capture the

boxer at the height of his career; pieces such as Wrapping Up, Speedball and Ali Taping Hands show Ali as calm,

confident and focused. Other works show his witty nature; Most Wanted Man, in which he holds a bounty notice for his

‘illegal whuppin’ of Joe Frazier’, recalls Ali’s trademark tactics of aggravating opponents prior to a fight (before the fight

he famously quipped ‘Frazier is so ugly he should donate his face to the US Bureau of Wildlife’). The classic image of Ali

with the Beatles was taken in 1964, prior to the fight with Sonny Liston, and as the Beatles were beginning their first

American tour.

Chris Smith has received numerous awards in acknowledgement of his contributions to photography. He was awarded

The Sports Photographer of the Year four times, as well as the Individual Sports Picture of the Year twice. He also won

a Special Award in the SSF World Sports Photo Contest in 1995. He covered his first Olympic Games in Munich in

1972, and since then has documented most major sporting events, including the Football and Rugby World Cups,

cricket, sailing, horseracing, and boxing. Smith lives and works in London.

Alon Zakaim Fine Art is located at 30 Cork St. London W1S 3NG. Entry is free and the gallery opening hours are from

9am-6pm, Monday-Friday.

Morning Run

Miami, 1971

Float Like a Butterfly, Sting Like a Bee

5th St. Gym, Miami, 1971

‘Float Like a Butterfly, Sting Like a Bee' was the famous slogan Ali used to chant with his

corner man Bundini Brown. Taken in 1971 at the famous 5th Street Gym in Miami, this

portrait shows Ali as he was preparing for his first of three fights with Joe Frazier (Smokin’

Joe) by his great trainer Angelo Dundee. Billed as the ‘Fight of the Century,’ it took place at

Madison Square Garden in New York. The final line of the slogan was appropriately

'RUMBLE, YOUNG MAN, RUMBLE'.

Mirror Image

Deer Lake, Pennsylvania 1974

‘It's the repetition of affirmations that leads to belief.

And once that belief becomes a deep conviction,

things begin to happen.’

Sparring

5th St. Gym, Miami, 1971

5th St. Gym 5th St. Gym, Miami, 1971

Everlast

5th St. Gym, Miami, 1971

‘He who is not courageous enough to

take risks will accomplish nothing in life.’

Mug Shot 5th St. Gym, Miami, 1971

Between Rounds Madison Square Garden, New York, 1971

Ali Addresses Fans

Nevada, 1980

Taken prior to Ali’s fight against Larry Holmes, this was a match many felt should not

have taken place and is seen by some as having spurred on the Parkinson’s which was

already manifesting itself in the boxer’s speech. Attempting to regain the heavyweight

boxing title for an unprecedented fourth time, Ali came out of his two-year retire-

ment at the age of 38 to take on the reigning champion Holmes. A one-sided contest

in which Ali lost every round, this image records the poignancy of Ali’s late career; his

courage at fighting the younger generation of boxers, his awesome physical presence

despite his age, and the mesmerising effect he retained over the crowd in what was to

be the second to last fight of his career.

Ali Versus The Beatles

5th St. Gym, Miami, 1964

Ali met the fab four in 1964 at the famous 5th Street Gym in Miami, during the

group's first tour of the US. Ali (Cassius Clay at the time) was training for his first

encounter with the fearsome world champion Sonny Liston. At the time it was

taken, the picture arguably contained the five most recognisable faces on the planet.

Speedball

5th St. Gym, Miami, 1971

‘I hated every minute of training, but I said, 'Don't quit. Suffer now and live

the rest of your life as a champion.’ ’

Hard at the Gym 5th St. Gym, Miami, 1971

Wrapping Up

Deer Lake, Pennsylvania, 1974

Deer Lake Deer Lake, Pennsylvania, 1974

Miami Ghetto Miami, 1971

New York

New York, 1974

Most Wanted Man

Deer Lake, Pennsylvania, 1974

Ali Throws a Punch

Deer Lake, Pennsylvania, 1974

All works contained in this catalogue are available for sale as silver gelatin fibre based

prints in the following sizes (paper size). Each is from an edition of 50, signed and

numbered by the artist. Please note that sizes may vary slightly due to photo format.

20 x 30”

34.5 x 48”

46 x 66”

30 Cork St. London W1S 3NG

5-7 Dover St. London W1S 4LD

T: +44 (0)20 7287 7750

F: +44 (0)20 7287 7751

[email protected]

www.alonzakaim.com