Lot 439: Mahonri Macintosh Young (American, 1877-1957),

Mahonri Macintosh Young (American, 1877-1957), "The Boxer Joe Louis", terracotta bust, signed at bottom right of neck, height 15 1/4 in., width 12 in., depth 11 1/4 in. Note: Young was born to a prominent Utah family; his grandfather was the religious leader Brigham Young. He attended the Art Student League in New York and the Académie Julian in Paris, where he decided to concentrate on sculpture. Realizing he could not support himself in his native Utah, Young eventually chose New York as his permanent home, relocating to the city in 1910 Young was associated with the gritty, realistic Ashcan School and was described as "the George Bellows of Sculpture" by Life Magazine in 1941 Young created sculptures depicting the struggling working class, imbuing his figures with a sense of dignity and nobility. His series of bronze sculptures of boxers brought him national and international acclaim, and he was commended for his refusal to glamorize or soften his portraits. The present lot is likely a prototype for Young's bronze of the Alabama-born Joe Louis, World Heavyweight Boxing Champion from 1937-1949 In this work Young has captured a sense of the strength and determination for which Louis was known.