BOXERS

The Boxers are a continuing series of works created in New York, that began in 1999 as a one painting commission for a friend whose only desire was not to paint the contemporary fighters. Primarily working both abstractly and figuratively from 1984-1998, Quigley was commissioned by publicist Venanzio Ciampa, a former boxer, to paint Jack Johnson, the first black heavyweight champion in 1908. One unique piece led to creating over 60+ boxer works and a brand he titles, Skrapper. The series is an investigative visual study into the growth, history, and impact of the sport’s fighters culturally since its birth in the late 1800s. Consisting of confident portraits, traditional boxing poses, head to head battles, and an occasional knockdown, the subject matter subtly makes conceptual comparisons between the life of a prize fighter and one of a painter. Using iconic pugilist’s symbolically, Quigley parallel’s the challenge of being prepared emotionally, intellectually and physically to compete in our own metaphorical ring of life.