These 10 iconic sports prints will put world champions on your walls
Whether it’s a shot of the debonair James Hunt, or the towering, titanic Muhammad Ali, we’ve selected the best sporting moments ever captured on camera…
Words: Josh Lee
As our homes are steadily returned to pre-WFH states, it’s the right time to slowly shed any sterile home-office gear and introduce some more tasteful wares in their place. And a simple way to enhance your bentwood Eames chairs and Florence Knoll tables is to hang in some refined wall art.
And, if a Rothko or a Rousseau remain slightly out of reach, might we suggest fitting a frame around some snaps of the most celebrated moments in sporting history — an especially timely move given this year’s surfeit of major tournaments and competitions. Consider our selection of prints below – featuring the debonair, singular James Hunt, or the towering, titanic Muhammad Ali – and you’ll be on to a winner.
James Hunt, 1976
Shot the same year Hunt won the Formula One World Championship, this 1976 image shows the British racer and McLaren driver enjoying an ice lolly before slipping behind the wheel of his famed ‘M23’.
James Hunt, 1976
£159.00
Mickey Mantle, 1965
New York Yankees star Mickey Mantle may have gone down in US sporting history as one of the greatest switch hitters in baseball history, but this 1965 shot depicts the sportsman flinging his batting helmet away in disgust during a rare bad day at bat.
Mickey Mantle, 1965
£159.00
Bjorn Borg, 1980
The rivalry between the Swedish sportsman and John McEnroe was fabled. So, when Borg won his fifth successive men’s singles title with a thrilling five sets victory over a 21-year old McEnroe at the 1980 Wimbledon Championships, it’s little wonder he sank to his knees in celebration.
Bjorn Borg, 1980
£159.00
Muhammad Ali, 1963
A one-time cover of Gentleman’s Journal(printed upon Ali’s death in 2016), this iconic image was captured by Len Trievnor in 1963. Titled ‘Give Me Five’, it shows the American heavyweight lying on his hotel bed in London, predicting the number of rounds it would take to knock out British boxer Henry Cooper. (He was right).
Muhammad Ali, 1963
£199.00
Laird Hamilton, 1981
American surfing legend Laird Hamilton knew how to ride a wave. It’s a skill immortalised in this 1981 shot by Walter Iooss, who captured the San Franciscan surfer at work off the coast of Hanalei, Hawaii.
Laird Hamilton, 1981
£250.00
Jim Clark, 1961
Depicting legendary Formula One driver Jim Clark tearing around the Brands Hatch Circuit in a chic, sleek Lotus 21, this 1961 shot was taken as he finished 2nd in the II Silver City Trophy — less than a year after his F1 debut.
Jim Clark, 1961
£200.00
Bobby Moore, Martin Peters and Geoff Hurst, 1966
Committing one of Britain’s proudest sporting moments to film, this sun-drenched shot captures the close of 30th July, 1966. After beating West Germany to the World Cup (4-2 in extra time), Captain Bobby Moore parades the trophy in this shot alongside Martin Peters and Geoff Hurst.
Bobby Moore, Martin Peters and Geoff Hurst, 1966
£159.00
Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier, 1971
In 1971, a heavyweight championship boxing match between Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali took place at New York’s Madison Square Garden. It was billed as ‘The Fight’. This image, showing Ali taunting Frazier at the latter’s training headquarters, was taken mere days before Frazier came out on top.
Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier, 1971
£159.00
Karl Hab Track Print
Here’s something a little different — but just as striking as an iconic sportsman. One of a previously unseen collection of shots from Parisian photographer Karl Hab’s ‘Court Series’, this colourful shot depicts racing lanes, a turf field and bleachers.
Karl Hab Track Print
£325.00
Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe, 1980
Finally, another trip back to the 1980 Wimbledon Championships — and that Centre Court showdown between Borg and McEnroe. Featuring big sweatbands, bigger hair and more animosity than you can shake a racquet at, this black-and-white shot is a vintage treat.
Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe, 1980
£199.00
This article was taken from the Summer 2022 issue of Gentleman’s Journal. Take a look inside the latest magazine here…
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