The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of April 26, 2024
The White Hope
1921
(American, 1882–1925)
Image: 37.2 x 48 cm (14 5/8 x 18 7/8 in.)
Gift of Leonard C. Hanna, Jr. 1936.644
Catalogue raisonné: Mason 96
Location: not on view
Description
After Jack Johnson became the first African American world heavyweight champion in 1908, a series of boxing promoters searched for a “Great White Hope” who could dethrone him. Analyzing the facial features of the two fighters in this print, some scholars believe its subject commemorates Johnson’s victory over former champion James J. Jeffries in 1910. The outcome of this proclaimed “fight of the century” sparked racially motivated riots in more than 50 cities across 25 states, leaving 20 people dead. Whether or not The White Hope can be associated with a specific bout, Bellows’s image undercuts notions of white racial superiority with bitter irony.- Stag at Sharkey’s: George Bellows and the Art of Sports. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (May 14-September 18, 2016).The Cleveland Museum of Art, OH (05/14/2016-09/18/2016): “Stag at Sharkey’s: George Bellows and the Art of Sports”George Bellows Prints: Centennial Exhibition. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 7-October 31, 1982).The George Wesley Bellows Memorial Exhibition. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 16-March 22, 1926).
- {{cite web|title=The White Hope|url=false|author=George Bellows|year=1921|access-date=26 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1936.644