Sports, Politics & Ethics Collection.
Wilma Rudolph Throne of Impermanence. A Letter to my Future
2022
Taking inspiration from examples of great personal courage, Rudolph’s story is one of a child and adult who fought through physical barriers in pursuit of sporting ambitions.
Famous for her gold medal wins and record- breaking success in the 1960 Olympics, Rudolph’s early life was punctuated by her battle against polio-induced paralysis, requiring a brace for much of her childhood.
All around her are opposing competitive elements in a biblical context, vying for one throne position, and the types of conflict that people are prepared to face in pursuit of ‘the goal’.
Her battle is in her achievement over her own disability, despite the shortcomings of financial success.
Algeria Counter-Revolution
2021
This painting was partly influenced by Eugene Delacroix’s 1830 work ‘Liberty Leading the People’, which commemorates the second French Revolution. The image of Algerian freedom fighter Djamila Bouhired who stands in the centre is based on the figure of ‘Liberty’ in the Delacroix painting. However, she holds an Algerian flag instead of a French one.
Algeria was colonised by the French and so this painting super-imposes Algerian rights over French colonisation ideals at the time.
Many Algerian people are represented in the painting, people who wanted to express their rights. Visible figures in the painting include Rachid Mekhloufi (FLN campaiger), Zinedine Zidane, Karim Benzema, an Amazigh tribeswoman carrying the head of Freedom Fighter Emir Abdelkader, Muslim sports women, refugee tents, and a Muslim child.
Carlos Caszely Theatre of Nightmares
2021
Drawing on wider themes of global injustice,Carlos Caszely Theatre of Nightmares is a treatment of the 1973 Chilean coup d’état – led by Augusto Pinochet – and its impact on Chile’s population.
Browne presents Carlos Caszely, a Chilean footballer and national icon who is powerless against the brutal forces of Pinochet’s military dictatorship.
Caszely’s criticism of the regime has been answered with interrogation and violence against his mother, who he is depicted consoling. They are situated in the late President Allende’s Parliament Hall which is here used for processing wanted opposition activists, who were also tortured on other parts of Chile, including the National Football Stadium.
Within the painting is a reminder of ‘For 30 Pieces of Silver’, echoing the competitive influence of opposing ideologies and the crushing impacts that one of them had.
Maradona and The Western Wall
2020
Completed three months before Maradona passed away, this painting is my emotional analysis of the effects of superstardom on him.
Burdened by many pressures, he was also a hero for millions of people, having been both elevated and vilified throughout his life, particularly during the events of the 1986 world cup, when it was Argentina vs England some four years after the Falklands War.
Therefore he is elevated in front of the House of Parliament clock tower, where there are complex confrontations of faiths, politics, outcomes, motives and interpretation.
England and Brazil Real-Estate and Human Rights
2019
Probably the largest canvas I have completed at almost 4.3 metres wide, the painting is spearheaded by Viv Anderson (England footballer) and Socrates (Brazilian footballer), who both struggled for years with extremist, authoritarian, and discriminatory cultures.
At the left edge is British extremism, at the right edge is Brazilian extremism, whilst there are campaigns for equal rights and tolerance towards the centre.This painting brings out issues of gender, race, inequality, crime and environment, whilst trying to celebrate freedom too.
Influences for this painting are Raphael’s ‘The School of Athens’ showing Plato and Aristotle, and also Leonardo da Vinci’s ‘Vitruvian Man’.
Muhammad Ali
Freedom Without A Crown
2018
This piece is based on Frank Dicksee’s ‘The Two Crowns’, which portrays an English medieval prince returning home in triumph.
The work puts Muhammad Ali in the position of the prince as an iconic anti-war and Civil Rights leader. He rides past the United States Supreme Court and statue of Abraham Lincoln, after winning his case against conscription to fight in the Vietnam War.
As the leader of a triumphant multicultural procession, Ali is an inspiration to both myself and Eric Cantona, for his moral position on human rights and pacifism. Ali is also an example of a high-profile public figure using their platform to champion societal change and inspire generations to come.
John Carlos and Tommy Smith for 30 Pieces of Silver
2018
Presented as a nightmarish vision of the future, ‘For 30 pieces of Silver’ is a cautionary representation of excessive power that harms the oppressed and destroys the world
around us. In the centre are the people who are worst affected by a combination of ecological collapse, social upheaval, and resource exploitation.
This is all at the hands of three competitive puppet masters, timeless representatives of consequential competition. There are references to Géricault’s ‘The Raft of the Medusa’ and oceans of disposed consumer goods.
The work’s frame is made from 5000 year old bogwood, and attached to it are reproductions of old Jewish shekels – 30 pieces of silver.
Thanks to Saul Love for providing the excavated 5000 year old bogwood for the picture frame. Thanks also to Bailey Doodson for converting it into a frame.
Jesse Owens Scales of Injustice
2017
In a challenge to traditional ideas of separating sport from politics, ‘Scales of Injustice’ is an example of the power of sport to bridge cultural and political barriers.
Jesse Owens (middle) and Marty Glickman (left), a Jewish athlete who was deselected from the USA team at the 1936 Olympics, stand alongside Lutz Long, a German athlete who befriended Jesse during the competition.
Jesse holds a pair of Adidas running shoes, which he was sponsored to wear by the German company.
At the right edge of the painting are Hitler and Himmler, whilst at the left edge is Sasha Obama, representing liberty and equality.
The painting shows their international competition, but also their internal issues for equality.
The Art of the Game
1997
This original piece from the Eric Cantona collection chronicles Eric’s footballing resurrection, following his punishment for a kung-fu kick against a racially abusive fan.
The painting is based on Piero della Francesca’s ‘The Resurrection’ and Andrea Mantegna’s ‘Triumphs of Caesar VI’.
Also included in this painting are the Manchester United Class of 92, and manager Sir Alex Ferguson, being crowned by John Curtis.
The pennant flag colour also makes reference to the young England players in the painting.
