Past Exhibition

Bellows

Two men wearing brief-like shorts, shoes, and boxing gloves curl toward each other as they grapple in the middle of a boxing ring in this horizontal painting. We look at the ring from across the heads of the crowd below and around us. The platform of the boxing ring comes about a quarter of the way up the canvas so the boxers themselves nearly brush the top edge of the composition. The boxer on our left has pale, peach skin and wears light blue shorts. He curves to his side as he dips his head and right shoulder toward us in a defensive position, arms shielding his face. To our right and in the center of the composition, the opponent has an olive-toned complextion. He wears dark shorts and is shown in mid-punch with his left leg raised to step forward. His back curves like a comma as his right arm comes forward with the punch. Bright light, like a spotlight, illuminates the men from our left so even the right sides of their bodies are lost in shadow. The crowd around us is backlit but one grinning man turns to look over his shoulder at or beyond us. The arena across the boxing ring is also plunged into deep shadow, so only the faces in the first few rows are visible before being swallowed in darkness. In fact, the top third of the canvas behind the boxers is black. The faces of the men in the crowd across from us are loosely painted, sometimes with only a few strokes to capture features. Individual features are mostly obscured but one face near the center, between the legs of the attacking boxer, is split wide in an exaggerated grin. That man wears a white tuxedo shirt and black jacket, and raises both hands, as if ready to light a cigar.
George Bellows, Club Night, 1907, oil on canvas, John Hay Whitney Collection, 1982.76.1

Details

  • Dates

    -

  • Locations

    East Building, Mezzanine, Northwest, Pod II (3,000 sq. ft.)
Two men wearing brief-like shorts, shoes, and boxing gloves curl toward each other as they grapple in the middle of a boxing ring in this horizontal painting. We look at the ring from across the heads of the crowd below and around us. The platform of the boxing ring comes about a quarter of the way up the canvas so the boxers themselves nearly brush the top edge of the composition. The boxer on our left has pale, peach skin and wears light blue shorts. He curves to his side as he dips his head and right shoulder toward us in a defensive position, arms shielding his face. To our right and in the center of the composition, the opponent has an olive-toned complextion. He wears dark shorts and is shown in mid-punch with his left leg raised to step forward. His back curves like a comma as his right arm comes forward with the punch. Bright light, like a spotlight, illuminates the men from our left so even the right sides of their bodies are lost in shadow. The crowd around us is backlit but one grinning man turns to look over his shoulder at or beyond us. The arena across the boxing ring is also plunged into deep shadow, so only the faces in the first few rows are visible before being swallowed in darkness. In fact, the top third of the canvas behind the boxers is black. The faces of the men in the crowd across from us are loosely painted, sometimes with only a few strokes to capture features. Individual features are mostly obscured but one face near the center, between the legs of the attacking boxer, is split wide in an exaggerated grin. That man wears a white tuxedo shirt and black jacket, and raises both hands, as if ready to light a cigar.
George Bellows, Club Night, 1907, oil on canvas, John Hay Whitney Collection, 1982.76.1

Overview: 39 works depicting the popular theme of prizefighting were presented in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the birth of George Bellows. Included were the 6 boxing paintings, 14 drawings, 18 lithographs, and a magazine cover, dating from 1907 to 1924. Many of the works had been seen previously at the National Gallery's Bellows retrospective in 1957.

Organization: The exhibition was organized by John Wilmerding and E.A. Carmean Jr. Gaillard Ravenel and Mark Leithauser designed the exhibition and Gordon Anson designed the lighting.

Attendance: 110,805

Catalog: Bellows: The Boxing Pictures, by E.A. Carmean Jr. et al. Washington, DC: National Gallery of Art, 1982.

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