Source: Xinhua Net
The late American boxer Muhammad Ali is world-renowned for his athletic achievements, but few people know that he loves painting. More than 20 of his paintings were auctioned in New York City on the 5th, and they were sought after, and some of them sold at much higher prices than estimated.
Ali's 1978 comic Book, Sting Like a Bee, was the most popular, taking into account commissions and eventually sold for more than $425,000. The estimated value of the painting is only $40,000 to $60,000.
The cartoon depicts a boxing match: a boxer knocks an opponent to the ground, raises his arms, and displays a victorious posture. The fallen boxer's head read: "Referee, he really walks lightly like a butterfly, stinging like a bee." Ali often describes his boxing style as "light like a butterfly, stinging like a bee."
Reuters quoted Powerlong Auction Company as saying that Ali's love of painting is little known, and he likes to draw after a competition or training to relax.
More than 20 Ali paintings auctioned that day totaled $946,000, more than three times higher than the minimum estimate. There are several cartoons with the theme of boxing matches, as well as some landscape paintings. The paintings are from Ali's friend Rodney Hilton Brown.
Ali won the world heavyweight boxing championship three times and dominated the boxing world for more than a decade, after which he suffered from Parkinson's disease for a long time. He died in June 2016 in Phoenix, Arizona, at the age of 74. (Ou Sa) [Xinhua News Agency Micro Feature]
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