A 1977 portrait of O. J. Simpson by artist Andy Warhol is set to be auctioned at auction house Philips this month. The portrait will be sold as part of the 20th Century And Contemporary Art Day Sale at the auction house. It is expected to fetch between $300k-$500k.
Titled O.J. Simpson (1977), the portrait was commissioned by Richard Weisman, who was a longtime collector of Warhol’s works. It was part of some 200 portraits Andy Warhol made under his ‘Athletes Series’. The series covered a variety of athletes – some already established as legends, others on the rise. Among the names covered by Warhol included Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Muhammad Ali.
At the time, O. J. Simpson was considered to be a rising star in football. In 1977, he was playing for Buffalo Bills and was already considered one of the greatest running backs of all time. At the age of 30, shortly after the portrait, he was traded to the San Francisco 49ers. However, today, O. J. Simpson is most (in)famous for the murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown and Ronald Goldman in 1994. Considered one of the most sensational murder trials in history, Simpson – who was the prime suspect in the murders – was ultimately acquitted. However, it tarnished his reputation and many continued to believe in his guilt.
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Long before this, Warhol’s portrait of Simpson started in a motel room in Buffalo where the latter had come up for the photo shoot. On the basis of some 45 polaroids taken that day, Warhol created the portrait: a silkscreen print that featured Simpson looking at the viewer, with an added acrylic layer of color depicting a football in his hands.
