Offered is a set of four limited edition silk-screened canvas prints by American artist Steve Kaufman celebrating the career of three-time heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Alli, signed by both the subject and the artist.

Considered one of the top "pop" artists in the world, Kaufman's silk-screened canvases instantly recall the work of the most famous pop artist of all time, Andy Warhol. This is no coincidence - for the better part of a decade, the young Kaufman was a friend and apprentice of the great Warhol, gaining such trust from both the artist and his supporters that Kaufman finished several Warhol's incomplete commissions after the master's passing. Kaufman's work takes the genre's sophistication a step further, bringing the image into a greater context through a "collage philosophy" that's apparent in these offered canvases.

Ali was the first fighter to win the world heavyweight championship on three separate occasions; he successfully defended this title 19 times. Ali’s place in boxing history as one of the greatest fighters ever is secure. His final record of 56 wins and 5 losses with 37 knockouts has been matched by others, but the quality of his opponents and the way he dominated during his prime placed him on a plateau with boxing’s immortals. Ali’s most-tangible ring assets were speed, superb footwork, and the ability to take a punch. But perhaps more important, he had courage and all the other intangibles that go into making a great fighter.

All four canvas prints in this collection represent the same image, The print five black and white photographic images of Ali from various moments in his career. The canvas also features a reproduction of a chronology of his career that appeared originally in the New York Times at the left and a reproduction of his career statistics from Ring Magazine at the right, both painted in gold type. The variations are in the size of the canvas and the colors used in the silk-screen process.

The first item in this collection has Ali’s signature in gold marker, over the image of Ali posed with boxing gloves up and ready in royal blue at the center. Other colors on the canvas are light blue, light green, and yellow. The back of the 36½ x 51¼-inch canvas is inscribed by the artist in black marker, “SAK ’96 29/99”. The second canvas in this group has Ali’s signature in gold marker on the rainbow-colored main figure of the fighter at the center. The background is silver and black. The back of the 38 x 51-inch canvas is inscribed by the artist in black marker, “SAK ’96 29/99”.

The third canvas in this group has Ali’s signature in gold marker on the rainbow-colored main figure of the fighter at the center. The background is red. The back of the 37½ x 51½ -inch canvas is inscribed by the artist in black marker, “SAK ’96 29/99”. The fourth canvas in this group has Ali’s signature in gold marker on the black and white main figure of the fighter at the center. The background is light blue, light green, yellow and black. The back of the 38 x 51 ¼ -inch canvas is inscribed by the artist in black marker, “SAK ’96 29/99”. All four prints come with individual LOAs from their producers Celebrity Sports.

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