Andy Warhol — Athletes, 1977 | Pop Art Photography T-Shirt
ANDY WARHOL — ATHLETES, 1977
Six sporting legends. One Pop Art icon. A meeting of sport, celebrity, and contemporary art.
New York, 1977.
Andy Warhol (1928–1987) stands before six colourful portraits from his celebrated Athletes series.
Photographed by Bernard Gotfryd (1924–2016), the image captures the artist surrounded by some of the most recognizable sporting personalities of the twentieth century.
THE SIX ATHLETES
The portraits behind Warhol depict:
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Pelé — Brazilian football legend and three-time World Cup champion.
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Muhammad Ali — heavyweight boxing champion and cultural icon.
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Dorothy Hamill — American figure skater and 1976 Olympic gold medalist.
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Tom Seaver — celebrated American baseball pitcher.
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O. J. Simpson — American football star whose later life became the subject of a major criminal trial.
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Chris Evert — American tennis champion and one of the leading players of her generation.
WARHOL AND THE CULTURE OF CELEBRITY
In 1977, collector Richard Weisman commissioned Warhol to create portraits of ten internationally recognized athletes.
Warhol had previously transformed Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, and Elizabeth Taylor into icons of modern visual culture.
With Athletes, he turned his attention to sport.
Using Polaroid photographs, silkscreen printing, vivid colours, and expressive painted surfaces, Warhol gave sports personalities the same visual treatment as Hollywood stars.
The series reflected a changing media culture in which athletes were becoming global celebrities.
THE PHOTOGRAPH
Gotfryd's photograph presents Warhol standing calmly before a wall of brightly coloured portraits.
His restrained appearance contrasts with the intense colours behind him.
The result is a portrait of an artist surrounded by the celebrity imagery he helped transform into art.
THE DESIGN
This black Bella+Canvas T-shirt features Gotfryd's archival photograph on the front.
On the back, bold yellow and pink typography inspired by Pop Art screen printing reads:
ANDY WARHOL
ATHLETES
NEW YORK · 1977
The two sides create a visual dialogue between the artist, his work, and the world of sporting celebrity.
READING FRAMES — WEARABLE ARCHIVES
Reading Frames is an independent visual-history project and YouTube channel exploring archival photography and the stories behind historical images.
Our Wearable Archives collection brings historical photographs into contemporary clothing.
Reading Frames — History, Reframed.
More details
- Solid colors are 100% Airlume combed and ring-spun cotton
- Ash color is 99% combed and ring-spun cotton, 1% polyester
- Heather colors are 52% combed and ring-spun cotton, 48% polyester
- Athletic and Black Heather are 90% combed and ring-spun cotton, 10% polyester
- Heather Prism colors are 99% combed and ring-spun cotton, 1% polyester
- Lightweight fabric (4.2 oz)
- Regular fit
- Unisex sizing
EU GPSR Product Information:
- Manufacturer contact information
- Name: Reading Frames
- Email: contact@support.readingframes.store
- Postal address: PO Box 5696 Santa Monica, CA 90405
- Additional information: This product is made for adults. 2 year warranty in EEA and UK, established by Directive 1999/44/EC.
Quality Guarantee & Returns
- Quality is guaranteed. If there is a print error or visible quality issue, we'll replace or refund it.
- Because the products are made to order, we do not accept general returns or sizing-related returns.
Andy Warhol — Athletes, 1977 | Pop Art Photography T-Shirt Size Guide
| Size label | Length | Width |
|---|---|---|
|
XS
|
27
|
16 1/2
|
|
S
|
28
|
18
|
|
M
|
29
|
20
|
|
L
|
30
|
22
|
|
XL
|
31
|
24
|
|
2XL
|
32
|
26
|
|
3XL
|
33
|
28
|
|
4XL
|
34
|
30
|
|
5XL
|
35
|
32
|
