new york yankees biography

"Basically, the philosophy was if you came in second, you lost. Second meant nothing," says former New York second baseman Jerry Coleman on ESPN Classic's documentary on the Yankees.

Like it or not - and a lot of people don't - the New York Yankees are the most successful North American sports franchise. With 26 world championships and 39 pennants since 1921, the Yankees have produced more star power than any other major league team.

They also have been an economic powerhouse, variously supporting other clubs by drawing large crowds, signing many players it coveted and persuading other teams to complete one-sided trades.

The team was born on Jan. 9, 1903 when Frank Farrell and Bill Devery bought the defunct Baltimore franchise for $18,000 and moved it to New York. The relocation filled American League president Ban Johnson's desire for a New York team and followed what turned out to be a permanent peace between the American and National Leagues. But the club remained lackluster for most of its first 17 seasons.

In 1915, Colonels Jacob Ruppert and Tillinghast L'Hommedieu Huston purchased the team for $460,000 and three years later Miller Huggins was named manager. But the most significant event of the era - possibly in baseball's history - came after the 1919 season: the purchase of Babe Ruth from Boston.

Ruth led the Yankees to three straight pennants (1921-23). After losing two World Series to the Giants, they finally beat them in 1923 for their first world championship. The Giants, resenting the larger crowds the AL team drew to the Polo Grounds, had threatened eviction and Yankee Stadium was built, for $2.5 million, in less than a year, opening in 1923.

In April 1925, Ruth required abdominal surgery and missed six weeks. After that he broke training regularly enough to precipitate a me-or-him confrontation with Huggins that ended when Ruppert, who took over sole ownership in 1922, backed the manager and forced the slugger to apologize publicly. The season's highlight was the beginning of Lou Gehrig's 2,130 consecutive-game playing streak.

The Yankees won three straight pennants (and two world championships) from 1926-28. Ruth belted 60 homers in 1927 and some historians regard that team, nicknamed Murderers Row, as the greatest ever.

Joe McCarthy was named manager in 1931. Despite a world championship the next year - marked by Ruth's "called shot," a homer during the sweep of the Cubs - four second-place finishes in his first five seasons caused grumbling about McCarthy's credentials. One of the critics was Ruth, who sulked at having been passed over for the managerial job.

But McCarthy bided his time and gave the aging Ruth plenty of leeway. After the dumping of Ruth before the 1935 season and the arrival of Joe DiMaggio in 1936, the Yankees became the first to win four straight World Series. However, the championship season of 1939 was marred by the death of Ruppert in January and by the retirement of Gehrig, a victim of the disease named after him, in May.

McCarthy won three more pennants (and two World Series) from 1941-43, the first of them highlighted by DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak. McCarthy's record seven world championships owed much to the farm system built by George Weiss. But the honeymoon ended after Larry MacPhail - along with silent partners Dan Topping and Del Webb - bought the team from Ruppert's estate for $2.8 million in 1945.

The MacPhail years produced one world championship, in 1947 under manager Bucky Harris, despite Brooklyn's Cookie Lavagetto's game-winning double that broke up Bill Bevens' no-hitter in the ninth inning of Game 4 of the Series. But the big story was the majority owner himself, who also replaced Ed Barrow, the club's conservative front office head since 1920, as president and general manager. MacPhail's flamboyance and interference offended McCarthy, who quit early in the 1946 season.

There were night games, promotions and the major league's first television contract. Fines for failing to attend promotional events and travel on a rickety plane enraged the players. The 1947 Series victory celebration was marred when Harris ejected MacPhail from the clubhouse for upbraiding players. Then MacPhail threatened to punch Topping and Webb; he did land one on an old friend. Topping and Webb bought out MacPhail the next day.

They hired Stengel as manager for the 1949 season on the recommendation of Weiss, newly promoted to general manager. The Yankees won five consecutive World Series, with Stengel juggling pitchers and platooning players in a manner that often seemed as bizarre as his personal language known as Stengelese. The retirement in 1951 of DiMaggio, never a Stengel favorite, offered an opportunity to build the team around Mickey Mantle, DiMaggio's successor in centerfield.

After finishing second in 1954, the Yankees rebounded to win four pennants (and two world championships) from 1955 to 1958. Off the field, key players, to Weiss' irritation, caroused as relentlessly as in Ruth's early days. The culmination of the partying was an altercation at the Copacabana in May 1957.

In the aftermath, Weiss traded Billy Martin, one of Stengel's favorite players. The deal was meant to break up the clique of drinkers without breaking up the team's core.

That trade was one of a series of lopsided transactions with Kansas City. Reminiscent of the deals with Boston earlier in the century, the transactions led to accusations that the Athletics were just a major league component of New York's farm system.

The Stengel era ended after the 1960 World Series, which the Yankees lost on Bill Mazeroski's ninth-inning homer in Game 7 despite outscoring Pittsburgh 55-27. Ownership chose Ralph Houk to replace Stengel, who was fired despite his winning seven World Series, tying McCarthy's record. Weiss was soon given the boot as well. The club won three pennants (and two World Series) in Houk's first three years and a fourth straight in 1964 under Yogi Berra. The 1961 flag was highlighted by Roger Maris' 61 homers to top Ruth's mark and a record 240 homers by the team.

By 1964, however, the club had aged. Topping and Webb, having decided as early as 1962 to sell, had stopped investing in the farm system. CBS bought 80 percent of the team in November 1964 season for $11.2 million. From 1965 to 1973, the Yankees finished higher than fourth only once.

In January 1973, a limited partnership headed by George Steinbrenner, bought the team from CBS for $10 million. The club moved to Shea Stadium for 1974 and 1975 while Yankee Stadium was refurbished. Steinbrenner, who had promised "absentee ownership," was suspended after pleading guilty to contributing money illegally to Richard Nixon's 1972 presidential campaign. Then in 1975, Martin returned - as manager.

The Yankees won the pennant in 1976. Then Steinbrenner, dipping into the free-agent market, signed Reggie Jackson. This set off the George-Billy-Reggie psychodrama. While there were World Series victories in 1977 and 1978 (the latter under Bob Lemon after Martin was fired for calling Jackson a "born liar" and Steinbrenner "convicted"), the trio brought chaos to the clubhouse and executive suite. Steinbrenner made 17 managerial changes (including four Martin reprises) between 1978 and 1992.

In 1990, Steinbrenner's feud with Dave Winfield led to another suspension for the owner - for hiring a gambler to obtain damaging information on the outfielder. The ban was supposed to be for life, but Commissioner Fay Vincent allowed Steinbrenner to return for the 1993 season.

The latest dynasty, under manager Joe Torre, began in 1996 with the Yankees winning their first World Series since 1978. After a wild card finish in 1997, they set an AL record with 114 wins the next year and took the first of three straight Series, which was capped by their triumph over the Mets in 2000 in the first Subway Series since 1956. In the 2001 Series, the Yankees won Games 4 and 5 in extra innings after dramatic ninth-inning homers. However, their bid for four straight titles ended in Game 7 in Arizona on Luis Gonzalez's soft single to center.

In 2003, the Yankees won their 39th pennant when Aaron Boone homered in the 11th inning in the seventh game of the ALCS against Boston. However, they lost the World Series to the Florida Marlins. The next season, the Yankees suffered perhaps the greatest meltdown in baseball history, becoming the first team to ever blow a three games to none lead in the postseason in losing the ALCS series to the Red Sox.

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Pinstripe Alley Top 100 Yankees: #38 Bob Shawkey

The first starting pitcher at Yankee Stadium earns his spot on the Top 100.

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Name : James Robert “Bob” Shawkey Position : Pitcher Born : December 4, 1890 (Sigel, PA) Died : December 31, 1980 (Syracuse, NY) Yankee Years : 1915-27 Primary number : N/A Yankee statistics : 415 G, 274 GS, 168-131, 27 SV, 164 CG (26 SHO), 2,488.2 innings, 3.12 ERA (85 ERA-), 3.52 FIP, 11.4 K%, 8.3 BB%, 29.8 fWAR, 43.4 rWAR

Traditionally, the New York Yankees as an organization are known for their offensive prowess. The team’s nickname, The Bronx Bombers, emphasizes just this, and the original Yankee Stadium was called “The House that Ruth Built” from the greatest Bomber of them all.

Very quietly, however, the Yankees have a long tradition of ace pitchers who headline the staff and find success despite pitching in the historically high-offense environments of the American League East. Gerrit Cole, the reigning AL Cy Young ( 48th in our ranking ) currently holds the title of staff ace. Before him were Masahiro Tanaka, CC Sabathia, and Andy Pettitte at various times. Long before them, it was Ron Guidry. Long before Guidry, it was Whitey Ford.

And before them all, it was Bob Shawkey, Yankee Stadium’s OG ace.

Raised on his family farm in western Pennsylvania alongside his three sisters, Shawkey spent his teenage years working in lumberyards, helping out around the farm. While surviving evidence does not indicate exactly how he got into baseball, we know from yearbook records that he had become quite proficient by the time he turned 20, as he spent the spring 1910 semester playing for the Slippery Rock University state team that lost only one game. The author of the yearbook described him as “notable for the number of people he can strike out in one game.”

Shawkey did not remain with them long, however, for while playing with a semi-pro traveling squad that summer, he was discovered by Pop Kelchner, a Philadelphia Athletics scout whose 86 signed players is believed to be the most in baseball history. He spent two seasons in the A’s farm — initially sent down to work on his control issues, then held down because the Baltimore Orioles (no, not that team, the International League club managed by Jack Dunn that would soon employ a very young Ruth as well) refused to let Shawkey go back to Philadelphia because they needed him for their own pennant run.

At long last, Shawkey finally made his MLB debut on July 16, 1913, as he spun seven innings of two-run ball while the A’s fell to the Chicago White Sox , 5-3.

Over the next two seasons, Shawkey established himself as a reliable starter for Connie Mack’s Athletics, as they dominated the American League with back-to-back pennants. The 22-year-old earned his first World Series ring in 1913 when the Mackmen dispatched the New York Giants in five games. Shawkey didn’t pitch in that Fall Classic, but made a losing start in 1914, when the 99-win A’s were stunned by the “Miracle” Boston Braves.

Then in 1915, everything came crashing down to Earth for Connie Mack and company. He was losing money and had to bid adieu to stars like Eddie Plank and Eddie Collins, leaving a sagging team in its place. On track for a 43-win season — then the third-fewest in Major League Baseball history, but just the beginning of a horrendous stretch of Philadelphia baseball — Mack continued to sell at midseason. Among many moves, the A’s sold Shawkey to the Yankees, where he would spend the rest of his career. Teammate Frank “Home Run” Baker would join him in due course.

To the Bronx, and then to War

After an uninspiring finish to the 1915 campaign, Shawkey broke out in a big way in 1916. Yankees manager Bill Donovan employed Shawkey as both a starter and a reliever. He started 27 games, notching 24 wins, and finished 24 more, and would be credited with a league-leading eight saves after the stat’s creation in 1969. Although it was standard operating procedure to use rested starters in relief in the early days of baseball, the extent to which Donovan called upon Shawkey out of the bullpen while using him regularly as a starter was astonishing even then.

As a jack-of-all-trades pitcher, the right-hander immediately catapulted himself into the conversation as one of the best arms in the league. Moved (almost) exclusively to the rotation in 1917, Shawkey cemented that status with a strong campaign that saw him record 13 of his team’s 71 wins.

Shawkey’s ascent, however, was halted in 1918 due to America’s entry into the Great War. Because his wife — a socialite named Marie Lakjer, aka “The Tiger Lady,” who allegedly shot her first husband in order to gain his estate — refused to claim financial dependence on him, he was unable to be granted the exemption from enlistment normally given to married men; local newspapers quoted her as saying, “I want him to go to war, the sooner the better.” Eventually, she threw Shawkey, his sister, and their dogs out of their house. Not surprisingly, he filed for divorce that June.

Eager to play for the shipyard baseball teams rather than head to Europe, Shawkey enlisted in April 1918, and he spent the first few months working as an accountant and playing baseball on the Philadelphia base. When on leave at the end of June and the beginning of July, however, Shawkey returned to the Yankees; he appeared in three games, including a complete-game shutout against the Washington Senators on the Fourth of July. Annoyed that he had gone back to his team while on leave, Navy officials transferred him to active duty, assigning him to the USS Arkansas, a battleship in the North Sea.

Even if it was meant as a punishment, Shawkey spoke highly of his time at sea. From this experience, he earned the nicknames “Sailor Bob” and “Bob the Gob.”

Opening Ruth’s House

Upon his return to civilian life in 1919, Shawkey picked up right where he left off in 1917, putting together one of the best seasons in Yankee history to that point. His numbers themselves were staggering enough — 20 victories on a ballclub that won only 80, 22 complete games, and a league-leading five saves — but it is the stories about that year that truly make it memorable. Facing his former ballclub on September 17th, he struck out 15 batters, a franchise record that would stand until Ron Guidry’s memorable 18-K performance more than half a century later.

In fact, there was only one batter that Shawkey struggled to shut down in 1919: Boston’s George Herman Ruth. In just one year against him, Ruth hit three of his then-record 29 home runs, including a grand slam in June and the record-breaking homer in September. Not surprisingly, Shawkey was counted among the people most thrilled to see the Red Sox opt to finance a play by selling their star hitter to New York.

With Ruth now driving in runs for him rather than driving in runs off him, Shawkey spun his second straight 20-win season in 1920, leading the league with a 2.45 ERA and 156 ERA+. His only blemish came from a weeklong suspension issued when he swung at the home plate umpire after a questionable ball four call. Arm fatigue forced him to employ a sidearm windup in 1921, leading his ERA to “balloon” to a 4.08; even so, he played a critical role eating innings for the Yankees, as they won their first pennant in team history. The Giants beat him up in the Yankees’ World Series loss to their Polo Grounds landlords, and though Shawkey pitched a hard-fought 10 innings during a 3-3 tie in Game 2 of the 1922 Fall Classic, Huggins’ team lost again.

After serving as the team’s ace for four seasons, Yankees manager Miller Huggins named him the Opening Day starter in 1923 — making him the first pitcher to start a game at Yankee Stadium. Facing the Boston Red Sox, Shawkey spun a complete-game three-hitter, striking out five while allowing just one run, on a Norm McMillan triple in the seventh. He earned the first win at the House that Ruth Built while the slugger himself went yard.

Unfortunately, 1923 would be the beginning of the end of Shawkey’s career. While he was still an above-average starter, cracks were beginning to show: he led the league with 27 home runs allowed, and his 9.5 walk percentage was the highest in his career, his 1918 war year cameo excluded. Take away his starts against the downtrodden Red Sox, in which he went 5-0 with a 1.04 ERA, and those stats look even worse.

Despite these regular season struggles, Shawkey came through when it mattered most. The Yankees won their third consecutive Junior Circuit flag but trailed those nemesis Giants 2-1 in the 1923 World Series. Huggins handed the ball to the veteran in Game 4 to prevent his Yanks from falling to the brink of elimination. Shawkey allowed 12 hits and 4 walks, but showed serious guile in tossing seven shutout innings before three runs crossed off him in the eighth with the Yanks up, 8-0. The Hugmen would win, 8-4.

Game 4 would be Shawkey’s only appearance of the series, but it kicked off a rally. The Yankees won three straight to take the World Series in six for the first of their 27 championships .

Injuries and ineffectiveness plagued Shawkey over the next three seasons, as he began to transition into more of a coaching role; as the veteran of the staff, he took an active interest in mentoring the young pitchers.

Due to this new position, Shawkey remained on the staff through the end of the 1927 season , in which he almost exclusively served as a reliever out of the ‘pen. After notching his second World Series title in New York, he was released by the organization, never to play again.

The Coaching Carousel

After retiring, Shawkey joined the coaching staff of the Montreal Royals, an International League team, for the 1928 season. Following the season, he joined Ty Cobb and other players on a trip to Japan, where they played on local collegiate teams as the sport took root across the Pacific. Upon his return, he donned the pinstripes once more, taking a job as the team’s pitching coach.

At the end of the 1929 season, disaster struck, as Huggins died suddenly; while Art Fletcher took over to finish out the string, Shawkey took over as manager in 1930. The erstwhile pitcher led the team to an 86-68 third-place finish. Despite support for their former teammate within the clubhouse (outside of Ruth, who wanted the job), Yankees brass opted to take advantage of Joe McCarthy’s sudden availability and hired the former Cubs manager. In hindsight, it’s hard to argue against the decision, since McCarthy led the team to seven championships, but still, it was a bit disrespectful for a man who was, at the time, one of the few Yankees legends. The man himself certainly felt slighted.

After leaving the Bronx, Shawkey took on managerial duties with Jersey City Skeeters and Newark Bears, a pair of Yankees affiliates, as well as the Scranton Miners; in time, he would manage Johnny Allen, George Selkirk and Spud Chandler, as well as his future son-in-law Jimmy Hitchcock. Following the 1935 season, he left the professional dugout permanently, although he did stay in baseball. As he traveled for his other business ventures — which included owning a Canadian gold mine so large that it required its own post office and building radios for General Electric during World War II — he served as a minor league instructor, and from 1952 to 1956, he coached the Dartmouth baseball team.

Retirement, Death, and Legacy

After retiring, Shawkey settled down with his fourth and final wife upstate in Syracuse, where he would live until passing away on New Year’s Eve in 1990. Despite the ignoble end to his brief Major League managerial career, he would sometimes return to Yankee Stadium. In addition to Old-Timers’ Day ceremonies here and there, he made sure to attend important events such as Lou Gehrig’s farewell and Ruth’s final appearance at the Stadium. Shawkey capped off Yankee Stadium’s 50th anniversary by throwing out the ceremonial first pitch at the celebration in 1973, where he and former teammate Whitey Witt greeted the Babe’s widow, Claire, with a kiss on the cheek.

Shawkey also re-opened Yankee Stadium following the two-year renovation by throwing out the first pitch in 1976. It was an appropriate honor for the man who had helped open the original ballpark all those years ago.

In many ways, Sailor Bob gets lost among a sea of Yankees greats. A quintessential member of the unofficial Hall of Very Good, he ultimately had neither the numbers nor the star power to net him enshrinement in either Cooperstown or Monument Park. Still, he was a key member of the New York teams that began to establish the Yankees as, well, the Yankees, and he ranks near the top of the franchise charts in wins (168, 6th), pitcher rWAR (43.4, tied for 6th with Lefty Gomez), shutouts (26, 8th), and strikeouts (1,163, 10th). His place on the Top 100 Yankees is more than well-deserved, and his popularity with the fanbase is nowhere near where it should be.

Staff rank : 38 Community rank : 50 Stats rank : 32 2013 rank : 32

Baseball Almanac — Bob Shawkey

Baseball Reference — Bob Shawkey

Baseball Reference — Bob Shawkey (Manager)

BR Bullpen — Bob Shawkey

“ Bob Shawkey .” Greater Syracuse Sports Hall of Fame. Accessed December 27, 2023.

“ Bob Shawkey will wed Tiger Lady .” The Pittsburgh Press . October 3, 1914.

Davidoff, Ken. “ Inside Ron Guidry’s 18-K masterpiece, 40 years later .” New York Post . June 16, 2018.

FanGraphs — Bob Shawkey

FanGraphs — Yankees pitchers, 1913-1927

Ferenchick, Matt. “ Yankees History: Bob Shawkey’s wild complete-game shutout. ” Pinstripe Alley . February 10, 2023.

Goldman, Steven. “ Forgiving, Forgetting, And Bob Shawkey’s 46-Year Yankees Exile. ” Vice.com. April 14, 2016.

Keese, Parton. “ Bob Shawkey, Pitcher for Yankees And Later Manager, Is Dead at 90 .” New York Times . January 4, 1981.

Larkin, Kevin. “ September 27, 1919: Bob Shawkey fans 15 and wins 20th for Yankees .” Society for American Baseball Research. Accessed December 27, 2023.

Rice, Stephen V. “ Bob Shawkey .” Society for American Baseball Research . Accessed December 27, 2023.

Smiley, Ron and Jim Sandoval. “ Pop Kelchner .” Society for American Baseball Research . Accessed December 27, 2023.

The Anamnisis . Slippery Rock State Normal School Yearbook, Volume 1 (Columbus, Ohio: Champlin Press, 1910).

Previously on the Top 100

39. Paul O’Neill Full list to date

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New York Yankees

1903 new york city.

In the twilight of the 19th century, while the lights of modernity were beginning to illuminate the horizon and baseball, that game of bat and ball, was still searching for its place in the hearts of the public, in Baltimore, Maryland, a team emerged that was predestined to change the course of the sport's history: the "Baltimore Orioles". This name, although resonant, would not be the one that would lead them to immortality.

Fate, with its capricious twists and turns, decided that the Big Apple, New York, would be the propitious setting for this team to write its epic. Thus, in 1903, leaving behind the lands of Maryland, they settled in the bustling heart of New York. With a new lease of life, and under the cloak of a city that never sleeps, they became the "New York Highlanders". This name, while imposing, still did not capture the essence of what they were destined to become.

It was a decade of adaptation, of encounters and misunderstandings, of quests and discoveries. But in 1913, as if the stars aligned and the baseball gods whispered in the ear of destiny, they adopted the name that would become synonymous with greatness, tradition and legacy: the New York Yankees.

This name not only represented a baseball team, but encapsulated the essence of a vibrant city, the ambition of a people and the passion of generations. The Yankees were not just players on a field; they were warriors in an epic battle, artists on an ever-evolving canvas, and poets whose exploits would be chronicled through the echoes of time.

From that moment on, every game, every victory, every defeat, would become another verse in the epic poem of the New York Yankees, a chronicle that even today, more than a century later, continues to be written with the same passion, determination and desire for transcendence.

The Yankee Renaissance: The Golden Age of the 1920s

As the world plunged into the 1920s, an era of jazz, flappers and renewed hope after the devastation of the Great War, in the baseball universe, one team began to chart its path to immortality. The Yankees, with the momentum and passion that characterized them, emerged as a colossus, an indomitable force that would defy any obstacle in its path.

In 1923, in an emblematic corner of the Bronx, a building emerged that would become the sacred temple of baseball: Yankee Stadium. This majestic construction was not just a stadium; it was a monument to greatness, a testament to ambition and the American dream. Many called it "The House that Ruth Built," and not without reason. Babe Ruth, the titan of baseball, with his unparalleled charisma and skill, became the heart and soul of this team. His bat, powerful and accurate, sent the ball beyond the borders of the stadium, leaving the crowd in collective ecstasy.

But Ruth was not alone in this odyssey. At his side, luminaries like Lou Gehrig, with his strength and determination, and Joe DiMaggio, with his elegance and skill, shone with a light that eclipsed the other stars in the baseball firmament. Together, they formed a constellation that lit up the sports landscape, making the Yankees not only the pride of New York, but the envy of the league and the entire world.

This decade, marked by splendor and glory, became the prologue to a saga that, to this day, continues to captivate fans and critics alike, reminding us of the magic, passion and timeless legacy of the New York Yankees.

From one golden era to another filled with Mondays and shadows.

The rise of the titans (1920-1930):.

At the dawn of the 1920s, the fate of the New York Yankees became intertwined with that of George Herman "Babe" Ruth, a colossal figure acquired from the Boston Red Sox. With his mallet in hand, Ruth unleashed a barrage of home runs that transformed the game forever. In 1921, the team reached the heights of the American League, although World Series glory eluded them against the New York Giants. However, in 1923, at the newly opened Yankee Stadium, the Yankees were crowned world champions, marking the beginning of a dynasty.

The year 1927 saw the Yankees, nicknamed "Murderers' Row," dominate the diamond with unmatched strength, culminating in a World Series victory. Ruth, with his unmatched talent, set a record with 60 home runs, a feat that would resonate through the decades.

Echoes of Greatness (1930-1940)

The following decade was marked by triumphs and tragedies. From 1936 to 1939, under the wise leadership of Joe McCarthy, the Yankees spun a web of victories, winning four consecutive World Series. However, 1939 also saw the retirement of Lou Gehrig, the "Iron Horse," whose career was cut short by an unrelenting illness.

The Icon Era (1940-1950)

The 1940s were marked by legendary feats. In 1941, Joe DiMaggio, with effortless elegance, set a record with hits in 56 consecutive games. Although the race barrier was broken by Jackie Robinson in 1947, the Yankees continued their reign, taking the World Series that year. Under Casey Stengel's tutelage, the decade culminated in a championship streak that solidified their legacy.

Changing of the Guard (1950-1960)

The 1950s saw the decline of DiMaggio and the dawn of a new star, Mickey Mantle. In 1956, Don Larsen, with surgical precision, pitched the only perfect game in World Series history. Echoes of applause resounded in 1958 when the Yankees triumphed over the Milwaukee Braves.

Transition Times (1960-1970)

The 1960s began with a bang when Roger Maris surpassed Ruth, hitting 61 home runs in 1961. However, the team faced challenges, culminating in 1964 with a World Series loss. The decade saw the Yankees in a period of introspection and renewal, seeking to redefine their identity in a changing world.

The Steinbrenner Era and the Renaissance

In 1973, the New York Yankees were at a turning point. It had been years since the team had tasted the joys of success, and the glory of decades past seemed a distant memory. However, that year marked the beginning of a new era for the Yankees, an era that would be defined by one man: George Steinbrenner.

George Steinbrenner, a Cleveland businessman, purchased the team in 1973. He was no stranger to the sports world, having had stakes in other teams, but the Yankees would be his most ambitious and personal project. From the beginning, Steinbrenner made it clear that he had big plans for the team. His vision was simple but bold: to return the Yankees to the top of baseball.

With unwavering determination, Steinbrenner began making significant changes to the organization. He invested in star players, upgraded the team's facilities, and established a culture of excellence that was expected of everyone from the players to the management staff. His focus on winning was so intense that he earned the nickname "The Boss."

Under his leadership, the Yankees experienced a renaissance. In 1977, just four years after his acquisition, the team won the World Series, and repeated the feat in 1978. These championships not only solidified Steinbrenner's legacy as one of the most successful owners in baseball history, but also reaffirmed the Yankees as a powerhouse in the sport.

However, the Steinbrenner era was not without controversy. His management style often clashed with players, coaches and other team executives. He was known for his impulsive decisions and his tendency to intervene in the day-to-day operations of the team. Despite these challenges, his impact on the Yankees is undeniable. Under his aegis, the team not only won championships, but also became a recognized global brand.

Over the years, Steinbrenner became an iconic figure, not only for the Yankees but for all of baseball. Despite criticism and controversy, his passion and dedication to the team never wavered. He always maintained the essence of the Yankees, a team that strives for excellence and never settles for less.

In short, the Steinbrenner era marked a renaissance for the New York Yankees. Under his leadership, the team once again tasted success and established itself as one of the most dominant franchises in sports history. His legacy lives on today, and his influence is felt in every corner of Yankee Stadium.

The Resurrection of Champions

The 1990s was a golden era for the New York Yankees. After years of drought and struggle, the team experienced a renaissance that took them to the top of baseball once again. Like the mythical phoenix, the Yankees rose from the ashes, demonstrating to the world their indomitable spirit and passion for the game.

From 1996 to 2000, the Yankees won four World Series championships in five years, establishing a dominance in the sport that few teams have ever matched. This feat would not have been possible without the contributions of stellar players who became icons of the team and baseball in general.

Derek Jeter: Known as "The Captain," Jeter was a key player in the rebirth of the Yankees. His ability at shortstop and his leadership in the locker room made him one of the most respected and admired figures in the team's history.

Mariano Rivera: The best closer of all time, Rivera was a guarantee in the last innings of games. With his famous "cutter", he left many batters without an answer and earned the respect of fans and rivals alike.

Jorge Posada: As the Yankees' catcher, Posada was the mastermind behind the plate, guiding the pitchers and being a key player in the team's offense. His dedication and love for the team made him a living legend.

These players, along with other talent on the team, wrote a new page in the Yankees' rich history. Their legacy lives on, and their impact on baseball will never be forgotten. The 1990s will be remembered as the era when the New York Yankees once again became the undisputed champions of the baseball world.

Changes and Traditions

The 21st century brought with it winds of change for the New York Yankees. Time, that silent witness of history, marked the end of one era and the beginning of another. In 2008, a bittersweet melancholy enveloped the fans and players, as it was time to say goodbye to the old Yankee Stadium, that temple of baseball that had witnessed so many feats and emotions.

However, saying goodbye to the old stadium did not mean the end of tradition. On the contrary, it was an opportunity to merge the legacy of the past with the promises of the future. In 2009, the Yankees inaugurated their new home, a majestic and modern stadium, but one that, at its core, retained the soul of the original. Every corner of the new Yankee Stadium was designed with the team's rich history in mind, with monuments and plaques paying tribute to the legends who had worn the pinstriped jersey.

This new baseball colossus, located just yards from the original, became a symbol of how the Yankees valued their past while adapting to the demands of the present. Modern amenities were intertwined with nostalgic memories, creating a unique experience for fans.

The new stadium also witnessed new achievements, such as the 2009 World Series victory, proving that even though the scenery had changed, the Yankees' winning spirit remained intact.

Thus, in this act of their history, the New York Yankees demonstrated that, while it is important to adapt and evolve, they must never forget their roots and traditions. For it is in that balance between past and present that the true essence of the team lies.

The Legend Continues

In the vast tapestry of baseball history, there is one name that shines with unparalleled brilliance: the New York Yankees. They are not merely players on a diamond; they are the protagonists of an epic saga that has captivated millions over the years. Every game, every season, is a chapter in this odyssey that has transcended beyond the boundaries of the field, becoming a universal narrative of triumph, adversity, passion and perseverance.

Since the dawn of the 20th century, the Yankees have been more than a team; they have been a symbol of excellence, a standard of what it means to fight with determination and heart. They have faced storms and challenges, they have tasted the sweetness of success and felt the sting of defeat. But in every setback, in every challenge, they have shown resilience and an indomitable spirit that has led them to get up again and again.

Names like Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Derek Jeter, and so many others, are not just players; they are titans, heroes of an epic that has been woven over the decades. Each has left an indelible mark, contributing to the rich tapestry of Yankee history.

And as the world changes and evolves, as new stars rise and others fade over the horizon, the Yankees legend remains immutable. For beyond trophies and records, the Yankees represent an ideal, an aspiration for greatness that resonates in the hearts of all those who have felt the magic of baseball.

So, as the sun sets and rises, as the seasons change and the years fade into the annals of time, one thing remains constant: the legend of the New York Yankees continues, unwavering, eternal, echoing in the echoes of eternity. For the Yankees are not just a team; they are the embodiment of the American dream, a living testament to what it means to struggle, persevere and succeed. And their legend, like the spirit of baseball, will live on forever.

The Temple of Baseball: Yankee Stadium

In the heart of the Bronx stands a structure that is much more than just a stadium: Yankee Stadium. This venue, which has witnessed countless feats and thrills, is a symbol of baseball greatness and tradition in New York and around the world.

The original Yankee Stadium, opened in 1923, was home to the Yankees for more than eight decades. Here, legends such as Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and Joe DiMaggio left their mark, and the stadium became a place of pilgrimage for baseball fans.

However, time is unforgiving, and in 2008, the Yankees had to say goodbye to their beloved stadium. But like a phoenix, a new Yankee Stadium rose from the ashes of the old one. Opened in 2009, this new baseball colossus was designed to evoke the grandeur and tradition of the original stadium, but with all the amenities and advances of the modern era.

Although the new stadium is 63% larger than the original, its design retains the spirit and essence of the old Yankee Stadium. Monuments and plaques pay tribute to the team's legends, and Monument Park, located behind center field, is a tribute to the club's greatest players. In addition, the stadium features the New York Yankees Museum, which houses a collection of artifacts that tell the team's rich history.

The new Yankee Stadium is not just a place to watch baseball; it's an experience. From the Great Hall, which houses stores and restaurants, to the panoramic views of the field, every detail has been carefully thought out to honor Yankees tradition and offer fans an unparalleled experience.

And while the scenery has changed, the passion and spirit of the Yankees remains the same. The new Yankee Stadium has witnessed new achievements and victories, such as the 2009 World Series, proving that the Yankees tradition of excellence is still alive and well.

Yankees have an emerging ‘superstar,’ rival manager says

• Updated: Apr. 10, 2024, 11:05 a.m. |
• Published: Apr. 10, 2024, 8:53 a.m.

New York Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe. AP

• Bridget Hyland | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Anthony Volpe is off to a scorching hot start to the 2024 season.

The Yankees shortstop began Tuesday with the highest batting average in Major League Baseball. After failing to get a hit that night (for just the third time in 11 games) in the 3-2 win over the Marlins, his average still stands at .375.

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Yankees takeaways: A new celebration, troubling signs for Stanton and Judge breaks out

PHOENIX — It took Alex Verdugo 30.86 seconds to cross home plate after his go-ahead two-run home run in the 10th inning of Wednesday’s game. It was a no-doubter off the bat, and Verdugo made sure he enjoyed each section of his first home run in a New York Yankees uniform. It’s the slowest home run trot of the 2024 season so far.

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“I wish he would have taken some time to admire it,” manager Aaron Boone quipped.

By the time Verdugo got back to the dugout, the Yankees were already barking like wild dogs and chirping with their hands. Verdugo’s “We’re dawgs out here” quote has become the unofficial rallying cry inside the Yankees clubhouse over the past week. When Aaron Judge smoked a double in the eleventh inning, Marcus Stroman , wearing a vintage Bronx Bombers T-shirt, stood on the top step of the Yankees dugout and barked.

VerDawg 🐶 pic.twitter.com/jdpLmZUid8 — New York Yankees (@Yankees) April 3, 2024

“There’s a lot of dogs in that dugout,” Judge said after Wednesday’s 6-5 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks .

Verdugo hopes the barking continues as the season progresses. He believes little things like that can bring a team together. So far, Verdugo has emerged as a clubhouse favorite with the energy and swagger he’s brought. It did not work out well for him with the Boston Red Sox in his final season last year and it became apparent change was needed. He’s fit in seamlessly with the Yankees. Both Judge and Boone have said on multiple occasions how he’s someone they’ve been wanting to add to the roster for a few years.

Just maybe, he’ll hear Yankee Stadium’s right-field bleachers bark in his first home start Friday. Here are some more takeaways after the Yankees’ 6-1 start.

Stanton’s woes 

It was a familiar sight in the fourth inning of Tuesday’s game. Giancarlo Stanton badly waved and missed at a slider low and out of the zone for a strikeout. In 20 at-bats this year, Stanton has struck out 11 times. It’s the same problem that plagued him last season.

Stanton has seen 23 total pitches low and out of the strike zone. Of his 10 swings on those 23 pitches, he’s whiffed on eight of them. The potential long-term problem for Stanton is opposing pitchers know if they attack there, he has trouble laying off those pitches. In 2023, 26 percent of all the pitches Stanton saw at the plate were in that location, by far his most-attacked spot. He carried a 70 percent whiff percentage on those pitches and didn’t barrel any.

More than any point in Stanton’s career, opposing pitchers pounded that location last season. It resulted in the slugger’s worst year of his career. That strategy looks foolproof so far in 2024, which could spell more of the same for Stanton.

“No,” Boone said Tuesday when asked if he’s worried about Stanton. “I think he’s healthy. The life is there. The juice is there. It’s just a matter of getting him going. And even when G is at his very best, sometimes the outs aren’t always the prettiest. But as long as he’s healthy and firing, I feel like the bat speed and everything’s where it needs to be. It’s just about getting on time.”

Stanton reshaped his body this offseason to become more durable and reworked his swing to recapture the life he’s previously shown. It’s too early to wonder if Stanton will re-emerge but there’s reason to worry considering the same flaw is plaguing him already. If Stanton can’t figure it out by the time Jasson Domínguez is ready to return this summer and if everyone stays healthy, it will be interesting to see how long Boone and the organization stick with the designated hitter if he’s not producing.

Judge gets back on track

While Stanton hasn’t inspired much confidence, it only looked like a matter of time until Judge produced results. He entered Wednesday’s game hitting .125 and hadn’t hit a home run all year — including spring training. But the signs were there that he was due. Judge had a 44.4 percent hard-hit rate and faced some bad BABIP luck. That changed when he sailed an opposite-field home run into Chase Field’s most unique feature.

“I told him I wanted him to go visit the pool at some point this road trip,” Boone said. “I am glad he checked that box.”

1st Captain Crush of the season 🫡 pic.twitter.com/kcncqZz97e — New York Yankees (@Yankees) April 3, 2024

Judge said he wasn’t getting caught up with his early-season stats and mentioned how easy it is to get discouraged when he looks up at the scoreboard and sees the poor results he’s had. Judge wasn’t the only hitter in the heart of the order who’s been struggling: Stanton, Judge and Anthony Rizzo entered Wednesday’s game a combined 10-for-66 with just three RBIs. For most of the first seven games, it’s been Juan Soto , Oswaldo Cabrera and Anthony Volpe carrying the Yankees’ lineup.

“I think we’re dangerous,” Verdugo said of the Yankees’ offensive potential. “It’s no secret we had three guys that were hotter than a pistol this whole week and then we’ve had some of the other guys that kind of started slow, me included. It’s just one of those things when you have your big guys kind of starting slow a little bit, you need other guys to take over and help. That’s why this game is so great. It’s nine players. Everybody can have a day to where they take over. I think the biggest thing is it takes pressure off the big dogs.”

The bullpen has been outstanding

Outside of newly acquired reliever Jake Cousins , who gave up a three-run home run in Tuesday’s loss, each Yankees reliever has looked nearly unhittable. That’s led by middle reliever Ian Hamilton . In Wednesday’s game, Hamilton pitched 2 2/3 innings and struck out four. He registered six whiffs on nine swings against his slider. It looked like he was throwing frisbees to the Diamondbacks’ hitters.

“That’s one of those where those guys haven’t seen him much at all,” Boone said. “Their swings showed it where it’s like, ‘What is that?’ It was a dominant performance.”

Hamilton 🔥 2.2 IP / 0 H / 0 R / 0 BB / 4 K pic.twitter.com/hrdcQXXEQe — New York Yankees (@Yankees) April 3, 2024

In 5 2/3 innings this season, Hamilton has allowed just one base runner and struck out seven. The Yankees’ bullpen has pitched 28 1/3 innings and has an ERA of 1.27. It was silly to not see the Yankees listed on MLB Network’s top 10 bullpens coming into 2024. The bullpen may not have a collection of household names, but year in and year out, the Yankees find a few no-name relievers who turn into some of the game’s best. Hamilton epitomizes that perfectly. He made the team out of spring training last year as a non-roster invitee. Nick Burdi , another non-roster invitee, has continued looking just as dominant as he did in spring training.

The one possible concern for the Yankees’ bullpen, especially in Gerrit Cole ’s absence, is getting overworked. It’s already sixth in innings pitched.

Stroman ready for his Bronx debut

Stroman called pitching the home opener this Friday a “dream come true.” He’ll have several of his friends and family members in attendance, with his dad, stepmom and sister still living on Long Island. His brother, Jayden, a pitcher at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., will also be in The Bronx on Friday.

Though Stroman grew up in New York, he wasn’t a fan of the Yankees or the New York Mets . But he understands the significance of what pitching a home opener means to the fans. That’s why he’s been looking forward to this start since it became clear with how the schedule lined up that it would be his turn in the rotation.

“I’ve always been someone who has performed in (big) moments,” Stroman said. “I’ve always been someone who has wanted the ball. I think a lot of individuals don’t want the ball. I think a lot of individuals don’t want to be in the spotlight and want to avoid it. I’ve never been that. You want to be in pressure-filled moments. You want to compete at the highest level and have that pressure because that’s why I work as hard as I do in the offseason.”

Stroman said he can’t wait to walk to the bullpen before the game begins to get in his final moments of preparation. He’s ready to feel the crowd in pinstripes for the first time.

“It’ll be a moment I think I’ll remember forever,” Stroman said.

“New York’s got a different energy. Obviously, Yankee Stadium embodies that, but New York is a different animal.”

(Photo of Alex Verdugo celebrating his 10th-inning home run: Zac BonDurant / Getty Images)

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Chris Kirschner is a staff writer for The Athletic covering the New York Yankees. He previously covered the Atlanta Hawks from 2018-2022 for The Athletic. Chris was named Georgia's Sportswriter of the Year in 2021 for his work covering the Hawks. Chris is a native of Bronx, NY. Follow Chris on Twitter @ chriskirschner

Mickey Mantle

Mickey Mantle played for the New York Yankees from 1951 to 1968, and was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974.

(1931-1995)

Who Was Mickey Mantle?

Scouted while in high school, Mickey Mantle joined the majors at age 19. He played his first game for the Yankees in 1951 and stayed with the team for his entire 18-year career, hitting 536 home runs and being named the American League's Most Valuable Player three times. He died in Texas in 1995.

Early Life and Career

Mickey Charles Mantle was born on October 20, 1931, in Spavinaw, Oklahoma. Named by his baseball-loving father after Detroit Tigers catcher Mickey Cochrane, Mantle was trained from a young age to be a switch-hitter. A New York Yankees scout saw him play while in high school, and Mantle subsequently signed on for two years in the minors before joining the major league team at the age of 19.

Playing for the Yankees

Throughout his career, Mantle was plagued by injuries and leg pain caused by osteomyelitis, yet he persevered to leave one of the greatest baseball legacies of all time.

Retirement and Later Years

After retiring from baseball on March 1, 1969, Mantle became a restaurateur and television commentator. He was also featured in numerous documentaries and sports videos. A fan favorite, he was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974.

After years of hard drinking, Mantle entered the Betty Ford Clinic in 1994 and was diagnosed with cirrhosis, hepatitis and cancer of the liver. "If I knew I was going to live this long, I'd have taken better care of myself," he stated around this period. Mantle received a liver transplant in 1995, but died of a heart attack that same year—on August 13, 1995, at the age of 63, in Dallas Texas. He was survived by his wife, Merlyn (Johnson) Mantle, and three sons: David, Danny and Mickey Jr. A fourth son, Billy, died in 1994 of Hodgkin's disease.

QUICK FACTS

• Name: Mickey Mantle
• Birth Year: 1931
• Birth date: October 20, 1931
• Birth State: Oklahoma
• Birth City: Spavinaw
• Birth Country: United States
• Gender: Male
• Best Known For: Mickey Mantle played for the New York Yankees from 1951 to 1968, and was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974.
• Astrological Sign: Libra
• Death Year: 1995
• Death date: August 13, 1995
• Death State: Texas
• Death City: Dallas
• Death Country: United States

We strive for accuracy and fairness.If you see something that doesn't look right, contact us !

CITATION INFORMATION

• Article Title: Mickey Mantle Biography
• Author: Biography.com Editors
• Website Name: The Biography.com website
• Url: https://www.biography.com/athletes/mickey-mantle
• Access Date:
• Publisher: A&E; Television Networks
• Last Updated: May 6, 2021
• Original Published Date: April 2, 2014
• Hitting the ball was easy. Running around the bases was the tough part.
• If I knew I was going to live this long, I'd have taken better care of myself.

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A New Way of Looking at the Nude

The artists redefining portraits of the human body for a more inclusive age.

By Julia Halperin

THE ARTIST PAUL Cadmus was flipping through Modern Maturity, the AARP’s official magazine, in 1991 when he saw something that made him angry. A disgruntled reader had written a letter to the editor slamming the publication for reproducing the Italian Renaissance artist Masaccio’s famous painting of Adam and Eve without including the fig leaves that church officials later added to cover their genitals.

In response, Cadmus , then 87, created a drawing, titled “Shame!,” which was recently on view at New York’s DC Moore Gallery as part of the first major solo exhibition of the artist, who died in 1999, in more than 20 years. It shows a lithe white man, woman and child standing tall and naked, arms intertwined. At their feet, a cluster of grotesque, clothed figures, including a hooknosed priest and a mother covering her child’s eyes, writhe in disgust. Cadmus, who is best known for homoerotic images that relish the male form, later wrote that the letter’s author had provided “a profound definition of the word ‘pornography’: a naked man and woman.” In an ironic twist that surely would have provoked the artist’s ire, it’s impossible to access a reproduction of “Shame” online today without clicking a “N.S.F.W.” button.

Nudes are one of the oldest and most stubbornly provocative tropes in Western art. Today, anyone with an internet connection can see a naked body at a moment’s notice (even if they have to press an extra button to do so). But the world in general, and the art world in particular, has remained largely conservative about what kinds of bodies it chooses to depict, celebrate and immortalize. In an age when Instagram polices nipples even as television shows like Euphoria traffic in erotic drama, a new generation of artists are mining this irony and working to broaden the aperture, breaking away from the idealized (usually white and thin) forms that have pervaded art for most of its documented existence. Instead, they are conjuring nudes that reflect a more fluid, more inclusive and fuller understanding of the body. At the same time, scholars and collectors are taking a new look at artists who were previously excluded from the canon because of the naturalistic, warts-and-all approach they took to the nude.

Fresh interpretations of the nude are front and center in a wave of exhibitions on view in New York this spring. At Bortolami gallery , there is Philip Pearlstein, whose dramatically cropped, unsentimental figures were profoundly unfashionable when he introduced them in the early 1960s. Gagosian is presenting its first exhibition of the photographer Francesca Woodman, who, before her death in 1981 at 22, created hundreds of strange, haunting photographs in which she used her naked body as a prop. Then there is Emily Coan, 32, at Dimin Gallery and Clarity Haynes, 52, at New Discretions , part of a group of contemporary artists who are using their own bodies and those of their friends to explore how femininity, gender identity and queerness can breathe new life into this often-vexing tradition.

The story of the nude in Western art begins in ancient Greece, where sculptors sought to pay tribute to the gods by capturing them in idealized human form. When Renaissance artists revived interest in classical antiquity, the nude came along for the ride, mostly as a vessel to idealize the figures of the Christian faith and the Roman Catholic Church, which dominated Renaissance Europe. Some of these works had the suggestion of sensuality or, in the case of Donatello’s sculpture of St. Jerome, deflated classical beauty by focusing on a body in decline. Such notions violated the conservative sensibilities of the church, but it wasn’t until the 19th century when the nude truly began to skirt the borders of taste and propriety. Edouard Manet’s “Olympia” was a sensation. The combination of subject (a prostitute in the classical pose of a reclining female nude) and style (brushwork so flat that it highlights the artificiality of the image) was so shocking that visitors to the Paris Salon of 1865 tried to stab the canvas with their umbrellas. The painting was recently on view at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York — only the third time it has ever left Paris, though it cast a wide influence on the next century or so of nudes, from the frankness of Gustave Courbet’s “Origin of the World” (painted the year after the debut of “Olympia”) to Picasso’s 1932 series about his mistress Marie-Thérèse Walter, which brought explicit nudity into the world of abstraction.

In his 1956 book “The Nude: A Study in Ideal Form,” the art historian Kenneth Clark wrote that “the nude is not the subject of art, but a form of art.” In other words, the nude, with all its art-historical baggage, is an efficient means for artists to telegraph how their own perspective is distinct from that of their peers and predecessors. The trope can be especially powerful for women, queer people and artists of color, who have historically been more likely to be seen painted nude in a gallery or museum, rather than have their paintings of nudes exhibited there. No other genre has the capacity to interrogate, in a single figure, how we see and how we are seen.

WOMEN WEREN’T PERMITTED to study life drawing in the traditional Western art academy until the late 19th century; no female artist was included in Clark’s authoritative 400-page tome. But more recent scholarship has recovered a number of female and queer artists, including Cadmus, whose nudes were dismissed as unseemly or unserious in their own time and feel considerably more forward thinking now. In 2018, the Museum aan de Stroom in Antwerp staged an exhibition of the 17th-century Flemish artist Michaelina Wautier , who, the art historian Alison M. Gingeras notes in the book “Pictures Girls Make,” which will be published later this month, created the first known portrait of a nude man by a woman. Many of Wautier’s works had previously been misattributed to her brother. Last year, an ambitious exhibition organized by the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia argued that the French artist Marie Laurencin’s paintings of stylized nude women and animals were not a quirky footnote but rather a significant contribution to the turn-of-the-century Parisian avant-garde.

Today’s artists embrace the nude for reasons ranging from the political to the personal to the practical (several mentioned that clothing automatically dates a painting).

When Sasha Gordon, 26, was assigned to sketch her own body in a college anatomy class, the teacher didn’t know what to make of her billowy form. “The professor had a hard time stepping away from the European way of thinking, with all the certain muscles and bones that you could normally see in a leaner body,” says Gordon, whose mother is Korean.

Today, Gordon places her own body — rendered in hyperrealistic detail — front and center in surreal scenes. (Her work was recently the subject of a solo show at the ICA Miami .) In “Trimmings” (2023), a nude Gordon uses garden shears to create a larger-than-life hedge version of herself. Looking out impishly at the viewer mid-snip, it’s as if she had broken into the pristine European-style garden to leave her mark. In a metaphor for her larger body of work, she makes herself into a monument without asking for permission.

Artists who seek to imbue the nude with new meaning still encounter some resistance. Doron Langberg , 38, whose lyrical portraits of queer lovers with their underwear around their ankles are rendered with the same gauzy reverential treatment as Claude Monet gave to the water lily, says that sexually explicit works still remain a hard sell to many institutions. (He is heartened, however, that the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Kunsthal Rotterdam are currently showing his erotic paintings.) Clarity Haynes, who is best known for painting the torsos of cancer survivors, queer and trans people, recalls a group of outraged museum donors walking out on her presentation of such works at the NADA art fair in Miami in 2018. And Emily Coan, whose witchy nude doppelgängers huddle around fires, drink and have sex with one another, notes that she and many of her contemporaries are unable to promote their work on Instagram because of the platform’s nudity policy.

Even within the feminist art community, disagreements remain over whether certain kinds of nudes are objectifying or empowering. An earlier generation of painters who dealt with explicit imagery, including Joan Semmel and Betty Tompkins, received similar pushback in the 1970s, criticized for appealing to the male gaze even as they tried to subvert it. What makes this moment different is both the wider spectrum of bodies taking up space on the canvas and the sheer delight, playfulness and weirdness with which they are represented. Many of the artists engaging with the nude today grew up taking photos of themselves and posting them on the internet. They are comfortable toying with images of the body because they know what it’s like to be looked at — not only by someone on the subway or at the grocery store but by everyone all at once online.

What artists playing with the unclothed human form today share in common is a fundamental lack of shame. For Haynes, the act of painting the nude is, more than anything else, an antidote to shame. Before she turned her focus on her community, she started out in 1997 depicting her own torso. It was a way, she recalls, to reacquaint herself with her body after getting sober, leaving her job as a stripper and recognizing how much of her existence had been informed by being sexually harassed on the street. “I thought I would see an exaggerated sexy person,” she says, “and what I saw was just a human being. I saw myself as a human being for the first time.”

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