Mahonri Young was enthusiastic about sports throughout his childhood and often attended boxing matches with his younger brother, Wally. On a trip to Paris in 1926, Young began his popular Prizefighter series, which included Right to the Jaw. Sporting events and sports heroes were very popular in the American market during the 1920s, and Young’s prizefighters, which emphasized the excitement and glamour of boxing, brought him widespread recognition.
“To me the problem has always been to animate the inert and lifeless material, whether bronze, stone, or wood, and to make it function like one of nature’s own creations.” Artist quoted in Thomas E. Toone, Mahonri Young: His Life and Art, 1997
- Title
-
Right to the Jaw
- Artist
- Founder
- Date
- 1926-1927
- Location
- Dimensions
- overall (includes base): 15 x 21 1⁄4 x 10 1⁄8 in. (38.1 x 54.0 x 25.7 cm) overall: 14 x 20 7⁄8 x 9 1⁄2 in. (35.6 x 53.0 x 24.1 cm)
- Credit Line
-
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Gift of Mahonri Sharp Young
- Mediums
- Mediums Description
- bronze
- Classifications
- Keywords
-
- Occupation – sport – boxing
- Figure group – male
- Object Number
-
1976.122.2
- Palette
- Linked Open Data
- Linked Open Data URI
