The Knockdown

Copied Mahonri Young, The Knockdown, 1931, bronze, 25 1⁄2 x 30 3⁄4 x 17 in. (64.7 x 78.0 x 43.2 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mahonri Sharp Young, 1976.122.1

Artwork Details

Title
The Knockdown
Artist
Date
1931
Location
Dimensions
25 1⁄2 x 30 3⁄4 x 17 in. (64.7 x 78.0 x 43.2 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of Mahonri Sharp Young
Mediums
Mediums Description
bronze
Classifications
Subjects
  • Figure group — male
  • Occupation — sport — boxing
  • Portrait male — Dempsey, Jack
  • Portrait male — Firpo, Luis Angel
Object Number
1976.122.1
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1976.122.1

Artwork Description

Mahonri Young loved sports when he was a boy and often attended boxing matches with his younger brother, Wally. On a trip to Paris in 1926, he began his popular Prizefighter series, which includes The Knockdown. Images of sporting events and athletes were very popular in the American art market during the 1920s and 1930s, and Young's pieces, which emphasize the excitement and danger of boxing, brought him widespread recognition. Here, he captured the moment when the loser falls to the mat, emphasizing his defeat by making his body appear to melt into the base of the sculpture. The winner, in contrast, seems to spring upward as he follows through with a devastating left hook.