Both Members of This Club
1909
Medium
oil on canvas
Dimensions
overall: 115 x 160.5 cm (45 1/4 x 63 3/16 in.) framed: 133 x 177.8 cm (52 3/8 x 70 in.)
Classification
Painting
Department
CAB
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Chester Dale Collection
Accession Number
1944.13.1
Art Historical Context
George Bellows’ *Both Members of This Club* (1909) plunges viewers into the gritty world of early twentieth-century urban America. A leading figure of the Ashcan School, Bellows specialized in scenes of modern life that other artists often ignored. Here he records a brutal boxing match staged inside a private club, where fighters were made temporary “members” to skirt laws banning the sport. The packed, shadowy arena and the bloodied combatants locked in combat reveal both the violence and the charged excitement of the spectacle. Painted in rich oil on canvas, the work showcases Bellows’ vigo...
About the Artist
George Bellows
George Wesley Bellows was born on August 12, 1882, in Columbus, Ohio, the only child of building contractor George Bellows Sr. and Anna Smith Bellows, with an older half-sister, Laura. A talented athlete who excelled in baseball and basketball at Ohio State University from 1901 to 1904, Bellows illustrated for the school yearbook before rejecting a professional baseball contract to pursue art. In ...