Muhammad Ali portrait canvas
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- Regular price€19,00
The essentials: a montage of three scenes on one canvas: Ali's face in extreme close-up, a boxer in a guard top right, and below a boxer with arms spread and mouth open. Painted in red, ochre and green. 10 sizes from 20 × 30 cm / 8 × 12 in to 110 × 160 cm / 43 × 63 in. Frame sold separately. From €19 to €109 depending on size, free standard shipping.
An album recorded before the title
In August 1963, six months before he fought Sonny Liston, Cassius Clay walked into a Columbia Records studio in New York to record a spoken word album. He was still a challenger, he was 21, and most of the record consists of poems declaimed in front of an audience, announcing the win to come.
The record, I Am the Greatest!, came out before the fight and was nominated for a Grammy. No boxer had released an album before becoming champion — the line that served as his signature for twenty years was recorded on tape before it was true. This canvas works the same way: it layers several moments of a career onto one surface.
What you see
Portrait format. The face in extreme close-up fills the left half and runs to the top of the frame, worked in red, ochre and brown, with beads of sweat painted one by one across the forehead and cheeks.
On the right, two smaller scenes: at the top, a boxer in a guard, dark gloves, light trunks, against a green ground; at the bottom centre, a boxer with arms spread and mouth open, bare chested, in a gold halo. The three planes blend into each other with no hard division. From 3 m / 10 ft you read a face; from 1 m / 3 ft the two side scenes separate.
Technical specifications
| Specification | Detail |
|---|---|
| Subject | Face of Muhammad Ali in close-up and two career scenes |
| Finish | Digital painting, three-plane montage |
| Dominant colours | Red, ochre, brown, green |
| Orientation | Portrait |
| Material | Cotton canvas, high definition digital print |
| Inks | Pigment based, UV resistant |
| Thickness | 3 mm / 0.12 in |
| Canvas delivery | Rolled in a protective tube, no stretcher bars |
| Frame | Frame sold separately |
| Care | Dry microfibre cloth, barely damp cloth if needed |
| Use | Indoor |
| Sizes | 20 × 30, 30 × 45, 40 × 60, 50 × 70, 60 × 90, 70 × 100, 80 × 120, 90 × 130, 100 × 150, 110 × 160 cm (8 × 12 to 43 × 63 in) |
| Price | From €19 to €109 depending on size |
| Shipping | Free standard shipping |
Worth knowing: warm tones hold on a beige wall, dark wood, brick or terracotta, where a cold palette instead needs a pale wall. From 50 × 70 cm / 20 × 28 in the two scenes on the right read from a sofa. Frames are sold separately: wooden frame up to 100 cm / 39 in per side, XXL wooden frame from 110 to 200 cm / 43 to 79 in, or aluminium frame in 8 finishes.
Three planes, three viewing distances
The face carries at five metres, the two side scenes at two metres, the beads of sweat at under one. The canvas needs size for all three levels to coexist: allow 50 × 70 cm / 20 × 28 in as a minimum and 90 × 130 cm / 35 × 51 in for the grain of the paint to show. The size chart by wall type covers the other placements room by room.
You may also like
- Ali black and white canvas — the same montage principle in grey and black, if your room calls for a neutral palette.
- Muhammad Ali blue canvas — a portrait in saturated blue, the opposite of these warm tones.
- Ali painted canvas — a full length painting in the ring, available down to 13 × 18 cm / 5 × 7 in for a shelf.
Frequently asked questions
Did Muhammad Ali record an album?
Yes. I Am the Greatest! was recorded for Columbia Records in August 1963, six months before the first Liston fight, mostly poems declaimed in front of an audience. It was nominated for a Grammy.
What size canvas should I hang above a sofa?
The working rule is about two thirds of the width of the furniture below it, centred 145 cm / 57 in from the floor. Over a 200 cm / 79 in three-seater, that means 80 × 120 cm / 31 × 47 in; over a two-seater, 60 × 90 cm / 24 × 35 in; in a hallway, 30 × 45 cm / 12 × 18 in. The full size chart by wall type is on the Ali vs Liston 1965 page.
How many scenes are on this canvas?
Three, blended into each other: the face in extreme close-up on the left half, a boxer in a guard top right on a green ground, and below a boxer with arms spread in a gold halo. The two side scenes read from 50 × 70 cm / 20 × 28 in.
What wall colour does this canvas work against?
A beige wall, dark wood, brick or terracotta. The reds and ochres pick up warm surfaces, where a cold palette would need pale plaster instead.
Does the canvas come with a frame?
No, the canvas ships on its own, rolled in a protective tube. Frames are sold separately: wooden frame up to 100 cm / 39 in per side, XXL wooden frame from 110 to 200 cm / 43 to 79 in, or aluminium frame in 8 finishes. The wooden kits are 2.5 cm / 1 in thick and come with instructions.
How do I clean a canvas print?
A dry microfibre cloth handles almost everything. For a mark that stays, use a barely damp cloth with no detergent, wiping across the surface. No abrasive sponge, no glass cleaner.
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