In 1977, renowned American artist Andy Warhol was commissioned by avid sports enthusiast and art collector Richard Weisman to create a series of silkscreen portraits. Weisman's idea was to create a collection of portraits capturing some of the most celebrated sports figures of the time. Weisman was not only a dedicated collector but also a friend of Warhol, and he often hosted legendary dinner parties where both athletes and artists rubbed shoulders. His collection, which he began in the 1960s, ended up including works by influential artists James Rosenquist, Norman Rockwell, Alberto Giacometti and Roy Lichtenstein, among others. He was also the son of two of the founders of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, Frederick and Marcia Weisman, who are famously depicted in David Hockney's American Collectors.
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Weisman's vision was to bridge the worlds of sports and art by immortalizing iconic athletes through Warhol's distinctive pop art style. Recognizing the increasing commercialization of sports and Warhol's penchant for pop culture, Weisman saw an opportunity to merge these two worlds in Warhol's art. 'The sports stars of today are the movie stars of yesterday,' said the artist. The Athletes series was indeed seen as a successor to Warhol's series of silkscreens of Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor and Marlon Brando.
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The series featured a lineup of legendary athletes carefully chosen by Weisman himself, including boxer Muhammad Ali, ice skater Dorothy Hamill, football player Pelé, basketball player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, baseball player Tom Seaver, ice hockey player Rod Gilbert, tennis player Chris Evert, golfer Jack Nicklaus, jockey Willie Shoemaker, and American football player O.J. Simpson. Starting in March 1977, Warhol traveled across the United States to personally photograph each athlete, using his signature Polaroid Big Shot camera. Back at his studio, the Factory, he transferred the frames on canvas and applied vibrant colors using his silkscreening technique.
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Ten portraits, measuring 40 x 40 inches, were commissioned for $800,000. Eight sets were produced, and Weisman ensured that both the subjects and Warhol himself received a portrait, with additional sets distributed to various recipients, including Weisman's children and universities.
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The exhibition of the Athletes series debuted at the Coe Kerr Gallery in New York City on December 9, 1977. A set of the portraits was offered for sale at $25,000 each.
Warhol also painted nine individual works as extras, which led to disagreements after his death regarding ownership and distribution. A settlement was reached between Weisman and the Andy Warhol Foundation that Weisman was the rightful owner of all of the Athletes paintings. Weisman, in turn, donated half of them back to the foundation.
In 2007, Weisman unsuccessfully attempted to sell his set for a reported $28 million through a London art dealer. The same year, a portrait of Muhammad Ali from the series was sold by Weisman's ex-wife at Christie's New York for $9.2 million. Later in 2011, a complete set realized $5.7 million at Christie's.
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The Athletes series was also the subject of a famous art heist in 2009, when 11 large silkscreen portraits (10 featuring the famous athletes, and one of Weisman himself) were stolen from Weisman's Los Angeles home. At the beginning of September, Mr Weisman's family nanny noticed the portraits had been removed from above the dining room table. In a curious twist, all other art in the house remained untouched with no sign of forced entry. A $1 million reward was offered for information leading to their return.
Eventually, it was confirmed by Christie's that the paintings were returned, but the circumstances of the recovery remain unclear. In November 2019, the set was offered as individual lots, again at Christie's, which sold for a combined $15,014,000. Just on its own, the portrait of Ali fetched $10 million.
