- 203
Andy Warhol
Estimate
80,000 - 120,000 GBP
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Description
- Andy Warhol
- Wayne Gretzky
- signed and dated 83 on the overlap
- acrylic and silkscreen ink on canvas
- 127 by 107cm.; 50 by 42 1/8 in.
Provenance
Richard Gray Gallery, Chicago
Faggionato Fine Arts, London
Acquired directly from the above by the present owner
Faggionato Fine Arts, London
Acquired directly from the above by the present owner
Condition
Colour:
The colours in the catalogue illustration are fairly accurate, although the overall tonality is brighter and more vibrant in the original.
Condition:
This work is in very good condition. There is evidence of very light wear and handling to the vertical edges and corner tips. Close inspection reveals some very faint specks of media accretion to the white pigment, in a few isolated places. No restoration is apparent when examined under ultra-violet light.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
Catalogue Note
Wayne Gretzky, nicknamed ‘The Great One’, was a professional ice hockey player. Born in Ontario, Canada in 1961, he started playing for the National Hockey League at seventeen and by the early eighties he had already established himself as one of the sporting greats of his generation.
In 1983 the Canadian gallerist Frans Wyans commissioned Andy Warhol to produce a series of six portraits of Wayne Gretzky as part of a campaign to raise the profile of the Canadian art market. Following shortly after and surely inspired by Warhol’s celebrated ‘Athlete Series’, these portraits are a further departure from the film stars and musicians that dominated Warhol’s oeuvre of the sixties and seventies. Typically prescient, Warhol’s new focus on athletes reflected his understanding of the changing nature of celebrity in American popular culture; as he commented in an interview at the time, "He’s more than a hockey player, he’s an entertainer, an entertaining hockey player" (the artist in an interview with Matthew Flamm for CBC Radio News, January 1983).
Boldly coloured and visually striking, Wayne Gretzky is not only a portrait of a sporting legend, but representative of Warhol’s clear vision of the role of sporting celebrity in modern society.
In 1983 the Canadian gallerist Frans Wyans commissioned Andy Warhol to produce a series of six portraits of Wayne Gretzky as part of a campaign to raise the profile of the Canadian art market. Following shortly after and surely inspired by Warhol’s celebrated ‘Athlete Series’, these portraits are a further departure from the film stars and musicians that dominated Warhol’s oeuvre of the sixties and seventies. Typically prescient, Warhol’s new focus on athletes reflected his understanding of the changing nature of celebrity in American popular culture; as he commented in an interview at the time, "He’s more than a hockey player, he’s an entertainer, an entertaining hockey player" (the artist in an interview with Matthew Flamm for CBC Radio News, January 1983).
Boldly coloured and visually striking, Wayne Gretzky is not only a portrait of a sporting legend, but representative of Warhol’s clear vision of the role of sporting celebrity in modern society.