Beadnell Bay (Northumberland, England), 2011

Bill Peronneau Biography

Bill Peronneau is known for his intimate portraits of legendary boxer Muhammad Ali. Taken at the Pocono Mountain Training Camp at Deer Lake, Pennsylvania in 1974 while the athlete was preparing for the ‘Rumble In the Jungle’ world heavyweight contest against George Foreman in Zaire, the intimately energetic portraits provide a rare opportunity to see Ali in the midst of his exercise regime - skipping, flexing and sparing with his own reflection.

Peronneau was given rare access to Ali’s private cabin retreat after the two became friends prior to the photographer working as a photojournalist in Philadelphia, where Ali lived at the time. The result of this series is an unprecedented look into the private side of one of the world’s most well known sportsman. Originally a photojournalist, Peronneau later went on to work on large scale projects, including a series of seascape works that the Special Photographer’s company described as “one of the greatest series of seascapes ever made”, causing them to arguably stand comparison with some of the finest works in photography.

Born in the US, Peronneau has been working on projects in England, including landscapes and portraits in Northumberland and his ongoing London cityscapes. Self taught, his work is held in many collections, including the Brooklyn Museum, New York, and Washington’s Library of Congress. The Ali portraits were included in ’The Worlds Most Photographed’ exhibition held at The National Portrait Gallery in London.