The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of September 10, 2026

A horizontally oriented lithograph in grainy black ink depicts a dense crowd of men with light skin tones. On a platform, a muscular man with his back to us leads a group with varying body types, from lean to portly. Wearing singlets and trousers, they stretch their arms. Shading is created with heavy, gestural lines. In the background, signs labeled MASSAGE and RULES OF HEALTH appear, while spectators watch from an upper left balcony.

Business Men's Class

1916

George Bellows

(American, 1882–1925)
America
lithograph
Sheet: 54.1 x 70 cm (21 5/16 x 27 9/16 in.)
Gift of Leonard C. Hanna Jr. 1936.630
Catalogue raisonné: Mason 20
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

The painter George Bellows resided at the West Side YMCA, where this scene takes place, which had 300 beds for men relocating to New York City.

Description

This scene takes place at the West Side YMCA, where George Bellows lived when he arrived in New York City from Columbus, Ohio, in 1904. Worry about the potentially debilitating impact of sedentary office jobs inspired new forms of exercise, such as calisthenics. Here, we see the artist’s satirical eye, as men of various body types and abilities attempt to mimic the graceful movements of the instructor.
  • Ashcan School Prints and the American City, 1900–1940. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (July 18-December 26, 2021).
    Stag at Sharkey’s: George Bellows and the Art of Sports. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (May 14-September 18, 2016).
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, OH (05/14/2016-09/18/2016): “Stag at Sharkey’s: George Bellows and the Art of Sports”
    Humor in Prints. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 13-October 28, 1934).
  • {{cite web|title=Business Men's Class|url=false|author=George Bellows|year=1916|access-date=10 September 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1936.630