‘‘We worked steadily for three days, mornings only, in a film studio I had rented. Ali always arrived on time, accompanied by friends, handlers and helpers. He was a real trouper and lent himself to all the demands, tricks and manipulations that a photographer pulls out of his bag.’’
—John Stewart
In 1977, British photographer John Stewart (1919-2017) was summoned to Chicago by Muhammad Ali, ‘The Greatest’, to take his portrait. Inspired by 19th-century printing practices, Stewart had become known for making his photographs appear as charcoal drawings. Such a dramatic finishing provided the ideal landscape for the series of portraits that ensued from this stand-out shoot. Reminiscing on his time photographing the legendary boxer, Stewart recalls, ‘You had to be fast, however, because his attention span was very short — a matter of a minute, after which he got bored and restless.’ This powerful, timeless image of Ali’s raised fist speaks for itself as an indelible portrait of a 20th century icon.