Muhammad Ali by Simon Bull
This exhibition features Simon Bull’s talents as a dynamic artist portraying Muhammad Ali. The exhibit showcases 16 paintings of Ali in vivid, rich oil on canvas and five color photographs. The artwork, which is displayed on the Mezzanine Level of the Ali Center, is generously provided on loan by Park West Gallery.
Hours: 9:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday – Saturday
12 noon - 5 p.m. Sunday
Admission: Exhibition is included with regular admission to the Ali Center.
$9 adults
$8 seniors (65+)
$5 students and military
$4 children (6-12)
Members and children ages 5 and under are free
About Simon Bull
British-born Simon Bull is one of the world's most compelling living artists. His work is collected by royalty, presidents, celebrities, and museums as well as a growing number of private collectors who find their lives enriched by the color and emotion of his work. Though Bull had gained early recognition for his finely worked etchings and watercolors, it is his ability to work with vibrant colors and bold, expressive compositions that brings him widespread international acclaim and produces the signature look that makes his work instantly recognizable.
Bull was the first to win the Fine Art Trade Guild Artist Print Award in 2000 (as the top-selling print artist in England), and in 2002 he was named the official artist for the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics. In 2003 and 2004 he became the first British artist to win the prestigious U.S. National Association of Limited Edition Dealers Print of the Year award. During his career, his work has been introduced by Randy Jackson of American Idol, unveiled in New York by Donald Trump, and featured on ABC Television’s Extreme Makeover Home Edition as well as MTV Cribs and ShopNBC. For more information, go online to www.bullart.com.
Previous Special Exhibitions at the Ali Center
"Utica - The Town That Loves Refugees" and "A New Home, A New Life"
Two different photo essays on loan from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) were on exhibit to raise awareness and provide a greater understanding of refugee experiences and to foster appreciation for refugees living in communities across the country. Utica – The Town That Loves Refugees by Vincent Winters, featured 28 photos of refugees living in the city of Utica, New York which thrived as a result of their presence and integration within the community. Refugees in Utica come from over 30 countries including Bosnia, Myanmar, and Iraq. A New Home, A New Life by John Rae, featured 30 photos of refugees from Sudan, Somalia, Cambodia and Bosnia who have resettled in Sioux Falls, South Dakota - a typical mid-western town that has been transformed by their arrival. Despite their vastly different backgrounds, the refugees share a common experience and a common aspiration.
A Hidden Wholeness: The Zen Photography of Thomas Merton
This exhibition featured 35 photographs by Thomas Merton from the Collections of the Thomas Merton Center at Bellarmine University in Louisville, Kentucky. Thomas Merton was a Trappist monk at the Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemani in Kentucky. He is best known today for his spiritual writings on contemplation and his own personal spiritual journey that led him to study Eastern religions, especially Zen Buddhism. Merton was also a visual artist of considerable talent exploring drawing and calligraphy and, as reflected in this exhibition, photography. His photographs invite us to an "aesthetic illumination" in which we see the "mundane" and the "spiritual" as one.
The ALI Folio™: Photographs of Sonia Katchian
Featuring fascinating photos of Muhammad Ali at the pinnacle of his career, this special exhibition offered an intimate look at the Louisville icon through the lens of internationally acclaimed photographer Sonia Katchian. A select collection of 41 photos were chosen from Sonia’s thousands of Ali images. The exhibit included major fight photos that were originally published in Sports Illustrated and Sport magazine in the 1970's as well as dozens of behind-the-scenes photos of the Champ that illustrate the softer, personable side of Muhammad. The black and white images of Ali were taken in locations all over the world with his family, friends and other close companions.
Surviving Darfur: Staring Into the Heart of Human Suffering
The Muhammad Ali Center along with Catholic Charities and the Metro Louisville’s Office of International Affairs co-sponsored this remarkably candid and affecting photo essay of 49 images taken in the Darfur region of Sudan on loan from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).