Muhammad Ali

GOAT: A Tribute to Muhammad Ali

If you're looking for an interesting and unique gift for the Muhammad Ali fan or sports memorabilia collector on your holiday list you should find out if they have a copy of GOAT (Greatest of All Time): A Tribute to Muhammad Ali. The massive tribute collection created by Taschen is not brand new to the market but remains a great holiday gift (or personal splurge?) nevertheless considering it's an exclusive collector's piece and numbered editions are still available. With a $15,000 price tag it's only for the most serious of collectors but this unique book includes over 3,000 photographs, art, and memorabilia and includes several gallery quality prints and the sculpture "Radial Champs" by Jeff Koons. Packaged in a white and pink (the color of Ali's first Cadillac) silk-covered clamshell box and signed by both Jeff Koons and Muhammad Ali, The "Champ's Edition" is limited to just 1,000 individually numbered copies.

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Tags: art books, coffee table books, holiday gifts, jeff koons, muhammad ali

Rare Cassius Clay Letters Up For Auction

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Sports

Most memorabilia related to Muhammad Ali isn't quite as personal as the letters going up for auction at Heritage Auctions in Dallas, Texas and online, October 1 and 2 (the same auction where Lenny Dykstra's memorabilia will be auctioned off). The three early 1960s handwritten letters to his sparring partner written by Ali when he was still known as Cassius Clay are the earliest known Clay letters. The letters were written immediately before and soon after his light heavyweight gold medal victory at the 1960 Olympics. Chris Ivy, Heritage Auctions Director of Sports Auctions says that the letters are "early insights into the mind of one of the greatest athletes of the 20th century as he makes the transition from Louisville, Kentucky amateur to international professional boxer." Each letter is expected to sell for $10,000 or more.

Tags: boxing, cassius clay, CassiusClay, muhammad ali, MuhammadAli, sports, sports memorabilia, SportsMemorabilia

Ten Warhols Lifted from West LA Home

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Art

andy warhol ali The thief was a sports fan, it seems. Ten pieces by pop art king Andy Warhol – showing famous sports figures – were swiped from a home in West Los Angeles, according to local police. The 40 square inch silkscreens were stolen around September 2 and September 3. The owner, businessman Richard Weisman, is offering a $1 million reward for information leading to the recovery of the multimillion dollar collection.

Times may be tough for the art market, but a large collection of Warhols is still definitely worth a $1 million reward.

The paintings were displayed in Weisman's living room, and the doors to the house were locked. Nobody's sure how the thieves got into the house ... well, nobody knows but the thieves (obviously). The family nanny noticed that the paintings were missing and dashed off to a neighbor's house to call the police.

Among the missing are pieces depicting O.J. Simpson, Pele, Chris Evert and Muhammad Ali. The exact value of the collection is unknown, but Weisman had tried to sell it for $3 million in 2002. In 2007, of course, Warhol became the top seller at auction worldwide, so even in the current art slump, it's hard to imagine the collection hasn't appreciated.

Other artwork in the house was untouched, and the home had not been ransacked, leading the police to believe that the thieves were only interested in Warhol.

So, once again, the LAPD is trying to track down O.J.

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Tags: andy warhol, AndyWarhol, art, art collection, ArtCollection, artwork, chris evert, ChrisEvert, crime, entertainment-awards, muhammad ali, MuhammadAli, oj simpson, OjSimpson, pele, theft, warhol

Bardot, Beatles & Monroe Star in Sotheby's Sale

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions, Art

The buzz at big photo auctions lately has been all about nude supermodels. Perfectly understandable, of course, but how many times can you really stand to see Gisele naked? (OK, no need to answer that). At Sotheby's latest photo sale in London on Tuesday, we're pleased to see some stunning images on offer which while short on supermodel cleavage nonetheless have plenty of appeal. Take for instance this portrait of the beautiful Brigitte Bardot taken by Terry O'Neill 1971 with an estimate of $8,000 - $12,000. Not one of the more expensive items on offer, but worth every penny in our estimation.

Also included in the amazing auction is Helmut Newton's 1975 photo of Elsa Peretti, est. $24,000 - $30,000, and his 1987 portrait of Jodie Foster, est. $14,000 - $18,000; Andy Warhol's Polaroid of Muhammad Ali taken in 1977, est. $10,000 - $14,000; David Bailey's 1969 double portrait of John Lennon and Paul McCartney, est. $20,000 - $30,000; and a recent print made from Bert Stern's famed Marilyn Monroe series (recently aped by Lindsay Lohan), est. $6,000 - $8,000. See the gallery for more.

Gallery: Sotheby's Photo Auction Stars