Two boxers slug it out in the ring at Blue Horizon, Philadelphia, Pennsylvanian, January 1990 in this photograph by Larry Fink whose Boxing Photographs are on display at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. © Larry Fink

ART REVIEW

Larry Fink’s boxing photographs tell the inside story of boxing, revealing the human experience through the microcosm of this ancient sport.

BY KAZAD

PHILADELPHIA — Anyone who has gone to a boxing match or seen one on TV must know it is a brutal sport. Heavy punches, blood, and spit flying through the air as two buffed up men trade punches in a boxing ring has helped solidify the vicious image of boxing. However, beyond all the viciousness of the ring, boxing is an exciting sport. A new exhibition at the Philadelphia Museum of Art takes viewers on a journey of the good, the bad and ugly side of boxing. Titled Larry Fink: The Boxing Photographs, the show brings together an impressive collection of boxing photographs taken by Larry Fink, one of America’s greatest photographers.

Boxing Photographs: Unexpected Tenderness and Vulnerability

Larry Fink’s photographs present an inside look at the tough and unsentimental world of boxing that many can only imagine. The more than 80 gelatin silver prints on display reveal the subculture of boxing. From its champions to challengers, the boxing photographs tell their own individual and collective stories. “In these photographs, the world of boxing unfolds like a great novel. Larry Fink shows us virtually all of the human experience through the microcosm of this ancient sport,” notes Peter Barberie, the Museum’s Brodsky Curator of Photographs, Alfred Stieglitz Center.

Larry Fink, The Embrace. Blue Horizon, Philadelphia, Pennsylvanian, January 1991 by Larry Fink (Promised gift of Tony Podesta Collection Washington DC) © Larry Fink

There is specific attention to boxing’s ambition-fueled gyms and rowdy rings and overheated atmospheres of locker rooms.  Many fascinating people including boxing legends, coaches, trainers, mothers, fathers, girlfriends, and spectators who populate this world are also adequately represented.

An experienced photojournalist, Fink’s incursion into boxing photography began in 1986 when he was on assignment to photograph sportsman Jimmy Jacobs, who was also the manager of the world heavyweight champion at the time. The beauty of the sport immediately captivated Fink. The legwork, the weaving in and out of danger and speed left Fink in awe. Nevertheless, Fink still had to educate himself on how to take photographs of the constantly moving figures in the boxing ring.  Firing at the maximum shutter speed, he learned how to move quickly and easily around the boxers, capturing fleeting moments of the agony, glory, shock, and satisfaction involved in amateur and professional bouts.

One of the photographs on display captures the sublime nature of boxing. In the photograph, a boxer embraces a man in uniform. The boxer’s face is laden with emotions in an expression of painful joy. Two men standing close to the door also smile as they share the glory of a win.

From that humble beginning in 1986, Fink continued to document boxers, gyms, and matches around the country through 2004. The works on display are from the artist’s intensive eighteen-year study.

A major focus of the exhibition is Blue Horizon, the legendary boxing gym in Philadelphia that closed in 2010. Located at 1314 N. Broad Street in Philadelphia, the boxing venue opened in November 1961. It was home to many boxers and the site of many famous international, regional, and local fights, including some fictional fights that appeared in the movie Rocky V (1990).  Sports Illustrated describes Blue Horizon as the ‘last great boxing venue in the country.’ The building still stands today.

This famous arena figures prominently in Fink’s series because this is where he caught the boxing bug. The Boxing Photographs provide a bird’s-eye view of the ring at the Blue Horizon. The photographs include close-up images of chiseled bodies: sinewy legs and arms, and muscled shoulders and backs. Additionally, the photographs also explore the psychological dimensions of the sport, from the hard work of professional training to the intensity of championship matches, to moments of unexpected tenderness and vulnerability.

That vulnerability is evidence in a black and white photograph of two boxers. Taking from above, the two boxers clinch to each other and the referee tries to pull them apart or tell them to ‘punch out’ of the clinch. A defensive move, clinching is a way for boxers to deal with fatigue or escape further punishment from their opponent. This panoramic view of the two boxers fighting shows the intensity of competition.

Tough and Unsentimental World of Boxing

Larry Fink, two boxers clinched during a fight at the Blue Horizon, Philadelphia, Pennsylvanian, January 1992. Photo:  Larry Fink (Promised gift of Tony Podesta Collection Washington DC) © Larry Fink

Fink’s fascination was just for the boxing rings but also the beauty around him. In his travels across the country taking boxing photographs, Fink paid particular attention to some of the interesting architecture and architectural designs he came across. In his collection are photographs of spaces such as theaters and hotel rooms across Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey. They illustrate the range of Fink’s travels for this series.

The people in Fink’s collection of photographs provide a portrait of what happens before, during and after a boxing match. They include images of boxers fighting. In 1991 while in Las Vegas, Fink documented the momentous match between Mike Tyson and Donovan Ruddock, considered the ‘Fight of the Year’ in 1991. The fight took place at the Mirage Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada.  The boxing posters for the fight feature the portraits of Tyson and Ruddock. It was a well-contested fight between both boxers who pummeled each other with powerful punches. However, Tyson won with a technical knockout in the end. The high stake fight brought out famous boxers and celebrities. In addition to the picture of Mike Tyson, Fink also took candid shots of boxing promoter Don King, the boxers, and comedian Eddie Murphy moving through a crowd indicating the high stakes placed on that fight.

Boxing Photographs of Famous Boxers and Personalities

Larry Fink, Mike Tyson, and Jimmy Jacobs, New Paltz, New York, February 1986 by Larry Fink (Promised gift of Tony Podesta Collection Washington DC) ©Larry Fink

In the past, many people thought boxing was for men alone. However, in the last two decades, many women have taken to the sport. Some of the boxing photographs in this exhibition feature young female boxers. The images show multiple views of a female boxer throwing a right-hand uppercut against the padded hand of her trainer, revealing the hours of intensive training involved in this demanding sport. The glitz of the sport is represented by women in fishnet stockings and high heels climbing down from the steps of rings.

The sports photographs in Larry Fink: The Boxing Photograph are from the promised gift of 250 works to the Philadelphia Museum of Art by Anthony T. Podesta. To bring deeper context to the show, Damion Thomas (Curator of Sports, National Museum of African American History and Culture, Washington, DC) moderates a conversation with photographer Larry Fink about boxing culture and representations of the sport.

Larry Fink: The Boxing Photographs runs from August 11, 2018, through January 1, 2019, at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.