Muhammad Ali as Saint Sebastian, Carl Fischer

Artwork Overview

Carl Fischer, Muhammad Ali as Saint Sebastian
Carl Fischer, Muhammad Ali as Saint Sebastian
Carl Fischer
Muhammad Ali as Saint Sebastian
1967
Carl Fischer, artist
1924–2023
Muhammad Ali as Saint Sebastian, 1967
Portfolio/Series title: "The Passion of Muhammad Ali," published in Esquire
Where object was made: United States
Material/technique: chromogenic print from original transparency
Dimensions:
Image Dimensions Height/Width (Height x Width): 21.7 x 17.8 cm
Image Dimensions Height/Width (Height x Width): 8 9/16 x 7 in
Sheet/Paper Dimensions (Height x Width): 25.2 x 20 cm
Sheet/Paper Dimensions (Height x Width): 9 15/16 x 7 7/8 in
Mat Dimensions (Height x Width): 19 x 14 in
Credit line: Copyright Carl Fischer
Accession number: 2016.0257
Not on display
Add to portfolio

If you wish to reproduce this image, please submit an image request

Images

Label texts

Gordon Parks’s photograph captures the famous boxer and activist Muhammad Ali mid-workout. Ali is often remembered for his vocal stance against both racism and the Vietnam War despite encountering public opposition, which negatively affected his career. Rather than portray Ali as a fighter, Fischer compares the Muslim Ali to the tragic Christian martyr Saint Sebastian, the patron saint of athletes. Sebastian was ordered to death by arrows for having been a Christian and trying to convert others while serving in the army. While Sebastian actually went to battle, Ali refused to fight because of his religious beliefs.
—Ronnie Bryant

Exhibitions

American Dream
Celka Straughn, curator
2017
Brosseau Center for Learning: Citizen: In Conversation with the 2017-18 KU Common Book
2018

Resources

Audio

Artist Interview
Artist Interview
[Artist Carl Fischer speaking] Well the picture of Muhammad Ali as Saint Sebastian has become very popular, partly I think because Muhammad Ali himself was very popular. And among celebrities he was, he was a little different. He did not take himself too seriously. In fact he did not take himself too seriously by saying “I am the greatest”. By overdoing it. It was so outrageous that it became foolish. Ali saying “I’m the greatest, I’m the prettiest, there’s nobody as pretty as I am…” it was funny and it was wonderful. And in real life he was that way, he really was a funny guy. And he enjoyed the craziness that he was doing. That picture turned out to be a bit of a problem because this was before computers, and I had arrows made that I was going to paste on his body. Everything was all worked out fine, and he came to the studio, and we couldn’t paste them on him. We’d paste them on him, and the arrows fell down. They bent over, they were too heavy. And so I set up a bar across the studio above him, and hung monofilament wires, and the wires helped hang up the arrows. It was a pain in the ass; I mean it dragged on for an hour or so. Anybody else I think would have lost patience. But he joked around, and we joked with him. And he saw what was going on, he realized there was a problem. He patiently waited while we strung them up one by one, fixed them when they were falling down. And we eventually got the picture.