Please call or email Artworks Gallery at (626) 229-0700 or info@artworksgallery.com

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“I don’t have to be what you want me to be,” Ali once stated, “I’m free to be what I want.” Michael Brennan’s epic photographic portrait echoes that sense of fierce independence. The portrait is important for the same reason that Muhammad Ali legacy is important: it tells us something about the strivings of all men for dignity.  An example of the “1977” Portrait of Muhammad Ali is housed in the permanent collection of the National Portrait Gallery – Smithsonian Institute.

The Most Iconic Portrait of Muhammad Ali is a post from: Muhammad Ali Photographs | Signed Photography of Ali by Brennan

Two great quotes from The Greatest on success and believing in yourself:

“I figured that if I said it enough, I would convince the world that I really was the greatest.”

“It’s lack of faith that makes people afraid of meeting challenges, and I believed in myself.”

– Muhammad Ali

Signed Muhammad Ali Photography

Muhammad Ali on Success is a post from: Muhammad Ali Photographs | Signed Photography of Ali by Brennan

Muhammad Ali Portrait Photo -  Signed

Happy 70th Birthday to the great Muhammad Ali! is a post from: Muhammad Ali Photographs | Signed Photography of Ali by Brennan

And here’s a few signed Muhammad Ali Photographs

If you’re into signed Muhammad Ali photographs in large print format, contact Artworks Gallery at (626) 229-0700

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http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/sports_blog/2011/11/gallery-will-present-muhammad-ali-artwork.html

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RIP Smokin’ Joe Frazier

You will be missed.

RIP Smokin Joe Frazier is a post from: Muhammad Ali Photographs | Signed Photography of Ali by Brennan

Muhammad Ali Signed Photo Exhibit is a post from: Muhammad Ali Photographs | Signed Photography of Ali by Brennan

“It is not inconceivable that the fame of Muhammad Ali has reached more people than have been aware of any other man in history during one lifetime.” – Hugh McIllvanney

PASADENA, California (April 1, 2011) – Artworks Gallery of Pasadena is pleased to announce the release of a monumental limited edition photograph of Muhammad Ali entitled “1977.”  The image is a rare close-up that captures the fighter’s vitality and determination, taken by prize winning British Photographer Michael Brennan.  The picture was captured in Deer Lake, Pa while Ali was training for his amazing come from behind victory over Earnie Shavers at Madison Square Garden in September of 1977.

Michael Brennan
“1977″ Portrait of Muhammad Ali
Archival Fine Art Pigment Print
48 x 63 inches, edition of 20.
Signed by Muhammad Ali, signed by Michael Brennan.

Only twenty examples were printed for this special collector’s edition.  The images were created using the revolutionary printing process ‘True Black and White’, taken directly from the photographer’s negative.  Each archival print has been signed by both photographer Michael Brennan, and by Ali himself. The massive scale of the printed image brings viewers face to face with a man who was both a larger than life hero, and also a man of the people.  This limited edition is perhaps the most masterfully produced large-format photographic image ever done of the great Champion.

Ali, who was named by Sports Illustrated magazine in 1999 as the “Sportsman of the Century,” defeated every top heavyweight in his era, which has been called the “Golden Age of Heavyweight Boxing.” Ali is regarded as a leading American cultural figure, not just because of the grace and power he displayed in the boxing ring, but also because of the confidence, independence and candor displayed in public. “I know where I’m going and I know the truth,” Ali once said, “and I don’t have to be what you want me to be. I’m free to be what I want.”  The “1977” portrait was taken at the pinnacle of the “Golden Age of Boxing”.

The original image resulted from a unique intimacy between Michael Brennan, and Ali, who wanted to be helpful to the young photographer. Brennan recalls: “Ali used to joke that he gave me access I could never expect from Barbra Streisand or Frank Sinatra.” As a result he was able to seize a rare opportunity while observing Ali in a training session:

“He (Ali) had been sparring and a television guy had been in the ring with him shooting film but for a few seconds he came into the corner of the ring where I was and I saw the expression on his face, I could see everything that lay behind it. In a hundredth of a second I shot the picture I had always dreamed of.”

From the moment Brennan snapped the shutter, he knew he had something captured something transcendent. Ali himself, when he first viewed the image, commented “I can feel the texture of all the sweat and hard work. I can feel my life.” Most other images of Ali capture either a more guarded expression or pull back to emphasize the champ’s physicality. Only Michael Brennan’s great photo caught the depth and determination that other fighters saw when they were face to face with Ali.

Observers have commented on the poignancy of the photo, in which the fighter’s distant gaze seems to indicate that he is looking beyond the immediate moment. Just days after the original photo was taken Ali travelled into the “belly of the beast” – Madison Square Garden – where he confronted the fearsome puncher Earnie Shavers. For fourteen lackluster rounds Ali was down on all the judge’s cards. Some seasoned sports writers regard Muhammad’s fifteenth and final round, in which he came from behind to steal the fight as one of his greatest achievements.

Using “1977” as a basis, Los Angeles sculptor Michael Kalish recently created a 3-dimensional image of Muhammad Ali made up of 1,300 speed bags, five miles of stainless steel cables and two miles of aluminum tubing. Artist Shepard Fairey, who became a national figure when his portrait of Barack Obama was featured on the cover of TIME magazine, has also used Brennan’s image as a starting point for portraying Ali. Clearly, this image of is on its way to becoming an icon that can rank with the best known portraits of Andy Warhol.

“Age is whatever you think it is” Muhammad Ali once said, “You are as old as you think you are.” In Michael Brennan’s amazing “1977” Ali himself lives forever, immortalized in all his grandeur and dignity. The Artworks edition of Brennan’s photo offers museums and collectors a once in a lifetime chance to possess the greatest image of Ali ever created, published with the most advanced technology available.

Five special new editions were published in connection with the “1977″ production.  Each of the following images were produced in two sizes, both from editions of only 10 examples.  Muhammad Ali has signed half of these editions.  In other words, only FIVE of each print has Muhammad Ali’s signature.

Don’t wait to reserve your copy — email us or call 626-229-0700

“EVERLAST” 32 x 42″ Archival Fine Art Pigment Print, edition of 10

“SHADOW BOXING 1″ 32 x 42″ Archival Fine Art Pigment Print, edition of 10

“ALI PORTRAIT PROFILE” 32 x 42″ Archival Fine Art Pigment Print, edition of 10

“SHADOW BOXING #2″ 32 x 42″ Archival Fine Art Pigment Print, edition of 10

“FIST WRAPPING” 32 x 42″ Archival Fine Art Pigment Print, edition of 10

“SUPERHERO” 12 3/4 x 26″ Archival Fine Art Pigment Print, edition of 10

For More Information:
Christopher Forney, Owner, Artworks Gallery – contact@artworksgallery.com
Tel: (626) 229-0700  Fax: (626) 229-0715

The “1977″ piece has been featured this year in a March edition of The Star:

Muhammad Ali Signs Photographs For Fine Art Collection is a post from: Muhammad Ali Photographs | Signed Photography of Ali by Brennan

This is a photo of Muhammad Ali taken by fine art photographer Michael Brennan in the 1970s.
Muhammad Ali is not only a courageous man but also quite inspiring.

Muhammad Ali on Courage is a post from: Muhammad Ali Photographs | Signed Photography of Ali by Brennan