Fifteen Muhammad Ali Drawings Donated to the Muhammad Ali Center

When Muhammad Ali wasn't throwing jabs or dancing in the ring, he would sometimes draw.

Now, 15 drawings by the legendary boxer have been sent to the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville, Kentucky.

The drawings were donated by the foundation created by artist LeRoy Neiman, a longtime friend of Ali.

Ali gave the drawings to Neiman as a gift.

On what would have been Ali's 75th birthday, the Neiman Foundation announced on Tuesday that it will donate 21 artworks valued at over $500,000 to the Ali Center. Among the pieces are two portraits of Ali painted by Neiman, including one titled "Athlete of the Century," which has been on display at the center since 2005. Neiman, who passed away in 2012, said the portraits capture "the colorful, essential, confident Ali." Other pieces in the collection include two works by Ali's father, Cassius Clay Sr., and one drawn by a friend of the boxer.

Donald Lassere, the president of the Ali Center, described it as a "valuable, timely and moving gift" as Ali's birthday and legacy are celebrated.

The donated pieces will almost certainly be showcased in a future exhibition at the Ali Center, officials said. This will give fans of the champion a chance to see his talents as an artist. Ali's drawings — made with pastels, watercolors, crayons, pens, and markers — were created between 1964 and 2005.

The drawings vary in size and quality, said Tara Zabor, curator of the Neiman Foundation collection. Some represented his predictions for fights. In tribute to his friend, Ali included Neiman among the crowds in the paintings of the fights, portrayed with his mustache.

Neiman met Ali, whose father was a painter, in 1962 in the dressing rooms of an arena in New York before a fight. The artist made a sketch of the young boxer sitting at the massage table. The two forged a long friendship and sometimes drew together between fights and training sessions.

Steven Bond, the president of the Neiman Foundation, said that Ali's pieces shed light on his artistic side.

"They are in a way very simple, stick-figure characters in black and white, in dramatic moments of fights," Bond said. "But don't be fooled by the simplicity. These pieces offer a new look at Ali's personal history."

Neiman was known for his colorful images of sporting events and other forms of entertainment. His subjects included a long list of famous athletes.

Last year, a Neiman engraving of Ali was stolen from an exhibition at the center. The artwork, which depicted Ali in a classic boxing pose, was valued at $5,000. An arrest was made in the case in late 2016, but the artwork was not recovered.

Officials from the Neiman Foundation said that the donation announced on Tuesday had been planned before the theft.