Float // Sting // Draw

By Mark Kaufman
I recently visited the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville, which is a wonderful interactive museum dedicated to the life and work of the great boxer and humanitarian. I would recommend a visit if you’re ever down that way. One of the surprising highlights was the Leroy Neiman Gallery at the Center, outlining the artists long relationship with Ali. Of course everyone knows Neiman and his work, his empire of prints, books,  and paintings, his long history of editorial assignments. Quite frankly even though I have been familiar with Neiman for virtually my entire life, because of his work for the likes of Sports Illustrated and Sport Magazine, I never paid the artist very much respect. Not sure why, maybe it was always too familiar, however it was interesting to see his Ali sketches, and illustrations in a gallery setting. Much respect for his line, for his energy and most spectacularly his journalistic chops. The ink, watercolor and pencil drawings on paper, and the back of fight programs and over scorecards and tickets were quite impressive with their attention to detail, their ability to capture action sequences and quiet moments in time, their craftsmanship and technical quality were quite a sight to see. One drawback was the fact that although impressive, the
gallery only displayed copies of the drawings, not the real thing. It
would have been nice to have been able to examine the linework and
color application in more detail. Still, color me dazzled, I only wish I had the same talent for capturing the excitement of amoment with such assurance and skill.