How much will portrait of Wayne Gretzky by Andy Warhol fetch at auction?
Iconic pop artist Andy Warhol created a series of portraits of Wayne Gretzky in 1983. One will hit the auction block on Thursday, May 30 at 7 p.m. in Cowley Abbott's Live Auction of Important Canadian and International Art.
The portrait is signed by Warhol and Gretzky with a "99" inscription in the lower left corner.
Gretzky is a fan of Warhol's work.
"I have a few of Andy Warhol's paintings of my own that I've collected over the years," Gretzky to Radio Canada International in December of 1983.
Warhol has created portraits of professional athletes in the past such as Pelé, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and O.J. Simpson.
Gretzky had a career spanning across three decades and is the NHL's all-time leading scorer with 2,857 points. The four-time Stanley Cup winner would still be NHL's all-time leading scorer if his 894 career goals were subtracted from his points total.
In addition to the Gretzky portrait, a colour screen print of Rolling Stones' front man Mick Jagger will be up for auction. The Jagger screen print is expected to sell for up to $180,000.
Both prints will be featured at Cowley Abbott's live auction at the Globe and Mail Centre in Toronto and will be livestreamed at https://cowleyabbott.ca/.