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 The 24-piece collection, many
of them in cartoon style and some of them
signed, reflect Ali's interest in religion and
social justice, but there are also some that
picture him in the ring.
"Ref, he did float like a butterfly and sting
like a bee!" reads the speech bubble from a
boxer knocked out by an opponent with his arms
raised in victory.
The painting, called "Sting Like a Bee," was
made by Ali in 1978 during the filming of the
historical mini series "Freedom Road" in which
he starred, Bonhams auctioneers said. It is
expected to fetch $40,000 - $60,000 at the sale
on Oct. 5.
Bonhams said Ali's passion for drawing was
little known, but he liked to sketch as a way of
unwinding after a fight or training.
"A lot of people are excited because no one knew
he was an artist and no one knew about this
treasure trove of artwork. So we're seeing a lot
of interest and a lot of excitement," said Helen
Hall, director of popular culture at Bonhams.
The works for sale come from the collection of
Rodney Hilton Brown, who worked with Ali on his
art.
[to top of second column]
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 The former world heavyweight
champion, who announced his conversion to Islam
in 1964 at the height of his career, died in
2016 at age 74 after a long battle with
Parkinson's disease.
"The Starving Children of Mississippi," from
1967, shows a figure in shorts saying "I only
wanted to fight to help feed you poor Black
kids."
"There's one that references the race riots in
L.A. and Newark in '65 and '67," said Hall. "One
of the paintings is devoted to Islam. He had
just recently converted. And then some of them
have a lighter tone and relate to boxing."
Other works include "America: The Big Jail" from
1967, and "War in America" which has a pre-sale
estimate of $25,000 to $35,000.
(Reporting by Jill Serjeant and Angela Moore,
Editing by Rosalba O'Brien)
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