After 5: 'Andy Warhol's Athletes'

The first-class art show normally wouldn’t make a stop in Springfield, but internationally known art collector Richard Weisman chose to take his collection to smaller population centers. Weisman, an investment banker friend of Warhol, commissioned the series of 10 professional athletes in 1977.

“Mr. Weisman was interested in sports as well as being an art collector,” says Jerry Berger, Springfield Art Museum Director. “It was his inspiration to combine widely recognized sports figures with such a well-known artist.

Knowing little about sports, Warhol relied on Weisman to set up the photo shoots.

“Weisman was able, through personal contacts and social networking, to persuade 10 of the most famous athletes of the time to pose for Warhol,” Berger adds.

The process

Warhol perfected this type of silk-screen process. A Polaroid photograph of the subject was made and then enlarged to the size of the finished work. He painted part of the canvas, then silk-screened the stencil onto the canvas. There were three layers: paint, silk screen, then more paint.

Grand gala

Around 500 people, including actress and Missouri State University alumna Kathleen Turner and Gov. Matt Blunt, attended the exhibit’s July 27 opening. Weisman signed copies of his book, “Picasso to Pop, the Richard Weisman Collection.”

Turner was accompanied by her mother, Pat, a Springfield resident and Art Museum board member, and her sister, Susan.

“We were all delighted with the size of the opening reception crowd, I think it was one of the largest reception crowds ever,” says Pat Turner.

One Week Left

What: Andy Warhol’s Athletes, 1977-1978

Where: Springfield Art Museum, 1111 E. Brookside Dr.

When: Through Sept. 3

Tickets: Free; donations for the museum are accepted

How it Arrived in Springfield

It is Weisman’s intention to bring this exhibition to smaller museums in non-major markets. He felt it was difficult for people to get to the larger museums and galleries to see these works.

Andy Warhol’s Athletes

The 10 Warhol silk screens, as they are displayed on the gallery wall, from left to right: Pelé (soccer); Jack Nicklaus (golf); Rod Gilbert (hockey); Chris Evert (tennis); Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (basketball); Muhammad Ali (boxing); Willie Shoemaker (jockey); O.J. Simpson (football); Dorothy Hamill (figure skating); and Tom Seaver (baseball).

The Story Goes …

Richard Weisman approached Andy Warhol with the idea of commissioning him to do a series of portraits of well-known sports figures. Warhol said he didn’t know any athletes. Weisman said he would persuade the athletes to sit for the portraits. Due to their hectic schedules, some of the athletes said they were too busy. But when Muhammad Ali agreed to the project, the rest of the group found time to participate.

Also in the Warhol exhibition is a silk-screened portrait of Weisman.[[In-content Ad]]