Mahonri Mackintosh Young, the grandson of President Brigham Young, was born in Salt Lake City, Utah in 1877. Throughout his career, he created more than 320 sculptures, as well as hundreds of oil paintings and thousands of watercolors, prints, and drawings. At the height of his career, Mahonri was lauded as one of the greatest American sculptors of his time. His 1926 sculpture Right to the Jaw exemplifies his talent for capturing action, force, movement, and tension. In 1927, Vanity Fair magazine called Young “one of the most distinguished of American sculptors,” and renowned prizefighter Jack Dempsey declared that “Brother Young’s” boxers were the most realistic fight scenes he’d ever seen. Mahonri Young’s painting with a similar theme, Two Boxers and Referee, is currently on display in the exhibition From the Vault, located on the lower level of the Museum of Art.
Guest author: Catherine Howard
