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Lot Essay
In 1983, British Columbia art collector Frans Wynans commissioned Andy Warhol to create a series of paintings and prints of hockey player and Ontario native Wayne Gretzky. 23-years old at the time, Gretzky was already recognized as the best hockey player in the National Hockey League and in the running for the greatest of all time. He had won the league MVP award three years in a row, set numerous scoring records, and would soon win his first of four Stanley Cup championships.
For the Wynans commission, Warhol produced six canvases. The present lot, unseen in public or at auction for almost twenty years, is arguably the best in the series. The complexity of the silkscreen is notable and stands out from the commissioned portraits of the mid and late 1970s, and the harmony of color resembles the Edmonton Oiler’s jersey colors. Photos from 1983 show Gretzky, Warhol, and Canadian Ambassador Ken Taylor posing in front of the present lot during Warhol’s unveiling of the Gretzky portraits. One can surmise this painting was selected for the purpose due to its quality and coloration.
The Gretzky commission was not the first time Warhol painted a portrait of a hockey player. Six years earlier, Richard Weisman had commissioned Warhol to complete a set of athlete paintings, and Rod Gilbert, a Quebec native and then captain of the New York Rangers, was recommended. But Gilbert is no match for Gretzky – on the ice at least. At the time of his retirement in 1999, Gretzky, also known as “The Great One,” held 61 NHL records, and to this day, he still holds the record for most goals, assists, and points in a single season.
For the Wynans commission, Warhol produced six canvases. The present lot, unseen in public or at auction for almost twenty years, is arguably the best in the series. The complexity of the silkscreen is notable and stands out from the commissioned portraits of the mid and late 1970s, and the harmony of color resembles the Edmonton Oiler’s jersey colors. Photos from 1983 show Gretzky, Warhol, and Canadian Ambassador Ken Taylor posing in front of the present lot during Warhol’s unveiling of the Gretzky portraits. One can surmise this painting was selected for the purpose due to its quality and coloration.
The Gretzky commission was not the first time Warhol painted a portrait of a hockey player. Six years earlier, Richard Weisman had commissioned Warhol to complete a set of athlete paintings, and Rod Gilbert, a Quebec native and then captain of the New York Rangers, was recommended. But Gilbert is no match for Gretzky – on the ice at least. At the time of his retirement in 1999, Gretzky, also known as “The Great One,” held 61 NHL records, and to this day, he still holds the record for most goals, assists, and points in a single season.