Images(3)

Portrait of Art Rooney, Sr.

Object number2017.65.3

Artist Mervin Allen Corning (1926 - 2006)

Printer Norman's Studio

OriginMt. Lebanon Township, PA

MediumInk; Canvas; Wood; Paint; Brass; Metal; Paper; Ink: Adhesive tape

Credit LineGift of Arthur Joseph Rooney, Jr.

DescriptionFramed Giclée ink print on canvas. Square print depicts bust portrait of white-haired older man in slight three-quarter view facing proper left. Figure rests his head in proper left hand. Figure wears eyeglasses, a wristwatch, and a black suit with white collar shirt and black and red striped necktie. Background is brown, gray, and blue. Artist signature printed in black in background above figure's proper right shoulder. Canvas is mounted on four member wooden stretcher with brass staples. Square brown painted wooden frame with gold painted outer border and opening border. No glazing.DimensionsHeight x Width x Depth (Framed): 24.5 × 24.5 × 1.875 in. (62.2 × 62.2 × 4.8 cm)
Height x Width (Sight size): 19.5 × 19.5 in. (49.5 × 49.5 cm)
SignedArtist signature printed in black in background above figure's proper right shoulder "...Corning".
MarksBack of canvas has rectangular piece of paper taped to center with text including "How to Protect Your / Investment in These / Color Prints... / [care instructions] / ... / Norman's Studio / ... / Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania... / ... / PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHERS / OF AMERICA, INC."

Back of frame has paper sticker on proper left member with handwritten text in black ink "20 x 20 / #331 / $85."

Back of frame has handwritten numbers in black ink on bottom member at center "35-23"; numbers are upside down.
Historical NotesMore than 30 years ago, Art Rooney, Jr. and his wife Kay visited the Circle Art Gallery in San Diego, California. By the time they left, a new passion had been born. Unable to buy a seascape that had sold while they shopped, Rooney purchased a portrait instead. Painted by Merv Corning, the work featured Cincinnati Bengals’ wide receiver Isaac Curtis, a player Rooney admired. Over the next several years Rooney returned to the gallery while in San Diego on scouting trips or at Steelers’ games and bought more of Corning’s art. Eventually Corning called him, beginning a friendship and artistic partnership that lasted until the artist passed away in 2006. Rooney gradually transitioned from a buyer of art, to commissioning specific pieces. He began to collect what he knew and loved – paintings that depicted members of the great Steelers’ teams of the 1970s. Rooney had scouted many of these players and had come to know and respect them as athletes, but also as men. Over time Art Rooney’s collection has broadened to include pieces by two other artists and to represent his life, his work, and the special relationships he developed through football. Merv Corning drew a picture of a school bus for his mother after his first day of school, inaugurating a long, successful art career. He joined the merchant marines at age 17, then worked as an illustrator and later as an art director for an advertising agency. Some of his early subjects and work were focused on aviation and automobiles. The NFL first hired him in 1966-67, the relationship would last more than 30 years, with Merv contracted as the League’s official Super Bowl artist in 1977. He liked to capture the game as it could be seen up close – with realism and some subtle drama.Label TextIn 1933, Art Rooney purchased an NFL franchise that he oversaw until his death in 1988, building a dynasty of sport and greatly influencing the evolution of the National Football League. As his team advanced on the field, his family grew at home. Son Dan came into the world in 1933, at the same time as the Steelers; Art, Jr. followed two years later. Eventually Art Rooney and his wife Kass had five sons, all of whom followed their father into the family business of sports.

Related person Arthur Joseph Rooney Sr. (1901 - 1988)

Collector Arthur Joseph Rooney Jr.

Related institution Pittsburgh Steelers

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