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SOUTHFIELD, Mich., Aug. 28 /PRNewswire/ — A special group of Detroit-area
young women and men enjoyed the once-in-a-lifetime experience of
meeting Muhammad Ali in person thanks to an educational program
sponsored by Southfield’s Park West Foundation in association with Park
West Gallery. Park West Gallery founder Albert Scaglione and his wife Mitsie
accompanied the young Detroiters to Louisville last week to visit with the
international boxing legend at the city’s acclaimed Muhammad Ali Center.

Muhammad Ali, perhaps more than any other living celebrity, represents a
universal standard of personal excellence, dignity and achievement,” said
Scaglione. “He is an inspiration to the world, and our young friends are
returning with stories and motivation that will last a lifetime.”

The young women and men — Jewel Rich 19, Latasha Posey 19, Dayanna
Holland-Womack 14, Calisia Clinkscale 19, Shaina Riser 19, Steve Curry 18,
Dondraill Thomas 17, Derica Clinkscale 18, Latoya Posey 18 — who are
aging out of foster care and are beneficiaries of Park West Foundation’s
FAMILY project, did not go to Louisville empty handed. They, along with
their mentors Saba Gebrai and Weusi Olusola, presented Muhammad Ali
with an award expressing their thanks and admiration for the Olympic Gold
Medal winner and three-time heavyweight champion of the world.

“It was emotional to watch the movie about his life,” said Latasha Posey.
“It was great that he didn’t give up. He kept fighting for what he believed
in and that’s what he said to us, never give up.”

“It was inspiring, moving and educational for each and every youth to
embody the message of finding the greatness within through the spiritual
journey of the life and work of Muhammad Ali,” said Gebrai. “I was simply in
awe to be in his presence. We are grateful to him, his wife Loni and the
Muhammad Ali Center for their gracious reception of our youth from Detroit.”

Albert Scaglione has gifted and lent several paintings by Park West Gallery
artists Simon Bull and Peter Max, along with rare Ali signed photographs to
the Center. “We anticipate that over time these important works — which
celebrate a man who has lived as a champion inside and outside the boxing
ring — will become part of this extraordinary Center’s permanent art
collection.”

Visitors to the 60,000 square-foot museum and learning center, which
opened in 2005, are able to view a selection of Ali-inspired art in a
dedicated Part West Gallery exhibit area. Featured are a number of Ali
action portraits by famed British artist Simon Bull, each signed by Ali and
Bull. “The chance to both portray a legend and have him sign your work is a
dream most artists never have the opportunity to fulfill,” said Bull.

The Park West Foundation is a not-for-profit organization founded in 2005
by Park West Gallery founder and CEO Albert Scaglione and his wife Mitsie
as a way to give back to their community. Among the many initiatives of the
Park West Foundation is the FAMILY project. The FAMILY project provides
young people about to “age out” of Foster care with a safe, loving, family
environment as well as mentoring, resources, and opportunities that will
help these young people move toward productive and fulfilling adult lives.
The Park West Foundation is funded mainly through financial contributions
and donations of art.

Park West Gallery(R), one of the world’s largest art dealers by unit sales,
conducts fine art auctions across the United States and Canada. Park West
Gallery also conducts art auctions at sea on 85 cruise ships around the
world. In addition to its 63,000 square foot world headquarters, main
gallery and fine art conservation facility in Southfield, Michigan, Park West
Gallery operates a 181,000 square foot framing and distribution center in
Miami Lakes, Florida, and maintains a catalog sales business. Park West
Gallery pioneered a unique business model in the world of art auctions. At
the Park West Gallery Fine Art auctions, nearly 90 percent of the art work
offered comes directly from the studios of living artists. Park West Gallery is
well-known for having brought the art work of many of the world’s leading
artists, including M.C. Escher, Victor Vasarely, Yaacov Agam, Peter Max,
Romero Britto, and Itzchak Tarkay, to a broad audience of art collectors
from all over the globe. Park West Gallery’s extensive relationships with
artists and its ability to reach art enthusiasts around the world helps
generate sales of approximately 300,000 works of fine art each year.
During 40 years in business, Park West Gallery has brought the world of
fine art to over 1.2 million clients in more than 60 countries.

Nira Dan

Growing up in a traditional Sephardic family in Netanya, art had no place in
David Najar’s childhood. “In my family there was no such thing as an artist
or painter. The closest thing to a painting we had at home was a tapestry.”
Though his public school teachers were impressed by his artistic skill, his
fellow classmates mocked him. The young David understood that it was
best to give up painting and join the boys on the soccer field. Sports
became the center of his life. When he was older, David started working
out at a center for Krav Maga (an Israeli hand-to-hand combat method) in
Netanya. The center was opened by Imi Sde-Or, the legendary Israeli figure
who developed the defense method. When Najar met Imi a special bond
immediately formed between the two, despite the 50-year age difference
between them. Krav Maga is based on various techniques in judo, karate,
ju-jitsu, boxing and other martial arts. The method was adopted and
developed by the Israeli Defense Forces and later by special combat forces
around the world. Imi started developing the method back in Europe as a
way to fight the Nazi gangs that attacked him and his friends during his
youth in Slovenia. When he immigrated to Israel, he was invited by Yitzhak
Sadeh (an Israeli military leader and one of the founders of the IDF) to
teach the method to the Hagana defense forces. Now working with the
army, Imi continued to develop the method until he retired to open a Krav
Maga center in Netanya. After training intensively, Najar became a coach
and soon one of the leading figures in the field. “I used to meet Imi at his
café in Netanya,” Najar relates. “He had a special table there where he’d
receive his guests. People from all over the world came to meet him – he
knew everyone who trained in his method. We would talk about everything,
about Krav Maga, life, God and girls. Imi always told me that I’d get
involved with a lot of things I wasn’t aware of yet, but I didn’t really pay
attention,” Najar says, smiling while he serves Turkish coffee.

We’re sitting in Najar’s studio in south Tel Aviv. It’s raining outside and
there’s a chill in the air. Najar smiles shyly. Even with his success and sales
in the United States, he still has a hard time believing that he’s managing
to make a living from painting. “For years I did Krav Maga and made a living
from it. My friends were accountants and engineers and suddenly
I became a painter. People were shocked. My friends and family said it was
nonsense, a passing phase.” But it didn’t pass.
It all started with a visit to the museum. “I saw a painting by Renoir, and I
said to myself, I have to learn how to do that.” He signed up for a painting
course in Ramat Aviv. Most of the other students were retirees and Najar,
with his wide and muscular shoulders, was without a doubt an attraction in
the class. “I bought paints and started ruining canvases,” Najar says.
“By day I taught Krav Maga and by night I painted. In the beginning I
would paint all night in our tiny spare room, but when we had a baby he
started taking over the room. I moved to the living room. My wife said I was
messing up the house and that the piant smell was unbearable. But I
couldn’t stop. I would get up in the middle of the night to paint.”
Najar wanted to paint all day and make a living from his art, but all the
artists he knew seemed to be struggling financially. “That wasn’t what I
wanted,” David says. “I wanted to live a normal life.” One day his teacher
invited him to participate in an exhibition. “I got really positive feedback
and lots of complements, but someone also came up and asked
to buy a painting. I name a price that at the time seemed astronomical to
me – and he agreed.” And the rest is history. David sells his paintings
mostly in the United States. He doesn’t need to wake up in the middle of
the night to paint in the living room anymore. He has a studio in south Tel
Aviv where he paints. The decision to rent a studio and be
a full time painter wasn’t easy. There were a lot of things he was unsure
about. “I understood that to make it you can’t just be a weekend painter
and I had a lot of concerns,” Najar says. Luckily, he met a painter that
helped him. “I trained him at the gym and he trained me at painting.
After I’d finish a painting I couldn’t help myself – I’d run to show it to
him. I wanted to hear what he thought, how I could improve. He always
had the patience to talk to me and he always supported me. We’d work out
with the painting in the background. He’d critique my painting and I’d
critique his moves.” Najar smiles and offers me another coffee. It’s
pouring outside now, but his studio is full of canvases with spring
blossoms. They’re waiting to be sent to the US. “I love nature,” he says,
glancing over his paintings. “I like to paint nature. I travel a lot, to see
flowers blooming, to the sea. I have to be in contact with nature. But the
truth is you don’t have to go far. We can be in contact with nature all the
time. It’s enough to just look out the window. There’s nothing ugly in
nature. The only ugliness is in places that have been touched by man’s
hand. People seek harmony. Nature has amazing colors and harmony – all
you need to do is look. Sometimes people don’t know how to look
sideways. I think people need to learn to take a break to see the beauty
around them. I say, stop for a moment and look. Especially in this
country with things as they are, it’s healthy to stop a moment. I think my
paintings open that channel up for people, maybe that’s my duty…”