Fallen Boxer

Copied Walker Hancock, Fallen Boxer, 1934, bronze, 8 1215 3410 18 in. (21.740.025.7 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Walker Hancock, 2000.20.1

Artwork Details

Title
Fallen Boxer
Founder
Cellini Bronze Works
Date
1934
Dimensions
8 1215 3410 18 in. (21.740.025.7 cm.)
Credit Line
Bequest of Walker Hancock
Mediums
Mediums Description
bronze
Classifications
Keywords
  • Figure male — full length
  • Occupation — sport — boxing
Object Number
2000.20.1

Artwork Description

Walker Hancock’s desire to express the “strength and beauty of the human body” is obvious in his sculptures of athletes. He was not very enthusiastic about sports at school, but enjoyed modeling images of the players from clay. This interest continued throughout his career and he often studied the movements of swimmers, wrestlers, and basketball players. Fallen Boxer shows a man hunched on the ground, immediately after being hit by an unseen opponent. The figure appears still to be in motion, wrapping his arms around his head and falling forward onto his knees.