Andy Warhol Muhammad Ali For Sale

Muhammad Ali for Sale

Andy Warhol's portrait series of Muhammad Ali (1978) is one of the most powerful intersections of art and sport in the 20th century — and among the most recognisable works from Warhol's celebrated Athletes series. Catalogued as FS II.179–182, the four-print portfolio captures Ali at the height of his global cultural dominance, rendered in Warhol's signature silkscreen style with the same visual authority he brought to Marilyn Monroe or Chairman Mao.

The commission came from Richard Weisman, the sports promoter and art collector who commissioned Warhol to create portraits of ten major athletes — a project that also included works depicting Pelé, O.J. Simpson, Tom Seaver, and others. The Ali portraits, however, have long been considered the emotional and artistic centrepiece of the series. Warhol photographed Ali personally, and the resulting images — bold, confrontational, electric with colour — feel entirely worthy of their subject.

Edition Information

Published in an edition of 25 per image, with artist's proofs and printer's proofs. Each print measures 40 × 32 inches, printed on Lenox Museum Board. Published by Richard Weisman and printed by Rupert Jasen Smith, New York, 1978.

Market Context

The Muhammad Ali prints occupy a unique position in the Warhol market: they attract collectors from the traditional fine art world, sports memorabilia collectors, and those drawn to Ali's extraordinary cultural legacy. Since Ali's death in 2016, demand has remained consistently strong and prices have trended upward. The edition size of just 25 per image makes these among the scarcer Warhol portrait works available on the secondary market.

Collector Note

A Warhol portrait of Muhammad Ali is, quite simply, one of the great crossover cultural objects of the 20th century — art, sport, history, and celebrity collapsed into a single silkscreen. Guy Hepner Gallery offers Muhammad Ali prints for sale with full provenance. Contact us for current availability.