Parks x Ali / co-edited by April M. Watson and Paul Roth ; with texts by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Gerald Early, Peter W. Kunhardt, Jr., April M. Watson, and Julian Zugazagoitia.
This publication accompanies the exhibition: Gordon Parks x Muhammad Ali : The Image of a Champion, 1966 - 1970 at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, February 14-July 6, 2020. Includes bibliographic references. "Gordon Parks x Muhammad Ali: The Image of a Champion, 1966-1970" : February 14-July 6, 2020, The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, Missouri, United States.
Contents:
Acknowledgments. Gerald Early -- Two Poets of Faith and Hope / Kareem Abdul-Jabbar -- Plates, Miami, 1966 -- Plates, London, 1966 -- The Image of Champions: Gordon Parks and Muhammad Ali in "Life" / April M. Watson -- Plates, Miami, 1970 -- The Four Alis / Gerald Early -- "Life": "The Redemption of the Champion," September 9, 1966 -- "Life": "No More Boasting, Just the Fight," October 23, 1970 -- List of Plates -- Biographies -- Acknowledgments.
Summary:
"In 1966, Life magazine assigned famed photographer Gordon Parks to cover Muhammad Ali, the brash young boxing champion. Four years later in 1970, the two came together again for a second Life feature story. These encounters framed a critical passage in the career of the controversial heavyweight, whose antiwar and black separatist views had led to widespread vilification in the United States. They also marked a significant moment of transition for Parks, then following up his remarkable success in photojournalism with new projects as an author, filmmaker and composer. Despite their generational and ideological differences, Parks and Ali respected and admired one another. As celebrated figures, both men shared a common struggle as they faced prejudice and bigotry in their fight for social justice and civil rights in the public eye. Significantly, Parks and Ali well understood the power of the media to shape public opinion. Parks's position at Life gave him a vast and influential platform, which he used to craft a sympathetic image of the controversial young champion. The Muhammad Ali whom Life readers discovered through Parks's photographs in 1966 and 1970--the athlete, private man, controversial figure of politics and religion, and cultural icon--was, it later emerged, standing at an important crossroads in his own inspiring evolution. Parks's photographs capture this important early chapter in the life of the fighter we still call "the greatest of all time" as he confronted his challenges, inside and outside the ring. Organized in collaboration with The Gordon Parks Foundation, this exhibition features approximately 55 photographs, many never before published. This exhibition will be accompanied by the publication Gordon Parks X Muhammad Ali, published in collaboration with the Gordon Parks Foundation and printed by Steidl. The book includes a foreword by Julian Zugazagoitia, Menefee D. and Mary Louise Blackwell Director & CEO of the Nelson-Atkins, and Peter W. Kunhardt, Jr.; and essays by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Gerald Early, and April M. Watson." --publisher's website, accessed 20200303.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.