long panoramic sheet of paper with five separate rectangular scenes depicting boxing-related imagery, rendered in black and white pigments; left-most scene depicts referee in black and white striped shirt blowing whistle with boxer on left; scene that is second from left depicts two boxers in a ring, partaking in a match; center scene is a male face, gazing to PR; scene second from right depicts a figure wearing a robe, back facing the viewer, with another figure looking on at robed figure; right scene has a close-up view with crowd cheering

%C2%A9 David Rathman

Untitled (Rumble in the Jungle), 2009

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David Rathman’s ink and watercolor drawing features a series of five black-and-white vignettes of the historic 1974 boxing match between undefeated world heavyweight champion George Foreman and challenger and former heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali. Held in Kinshasa, Zaire (now Congo), the fight, commonly known as the “Rumble in the Jungle,” caused an international sensation with an estimated one billion viewers worldwide watching the live televised broadcast. Though the two boxers were closely matched, Ali won by a knockout in the eighth round. Only two of the five scenes in Rathman’s drawing depict actual action in the ring, while two others show the fighters at rest, and one highlights the raucous crowd of spectators. Together the five vignettes convey the drama and excitement of this iconic battle between two of boxing’s titans.

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Details
Title
Untitled (Rumble in the Jungle)
Artist Life
born 1958
Role
Artist
Accession Number
2019.73.7
Provenance
The artist, Minneapolis; (Weinstein Gallery, Minneapolis, sold to Mersky, February 2014); Robert B. Mersky, Minneapolis; given to MIA, 2019.
Curator Approved

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long panoramic sheet of paper with five separate rectangular scenes depicting boxing-related imagery, rendered in black and white pigments; left-most scene depicts referee in black and white striped shirt blowing whistle with boxer on left; scene that is second from left depicts two boxers in a ring, partaking in a match; center scene is a male face, gazing to PR; scene second from right depicts a figure wearing a robe, back facing the viewer, with another figure looking on at robed figure; right scene has a close-up view with crowd cheering

© David Rathman

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