Portrait of Elbie Nickel
Object number2017.65.7
Artist
Dennis Karchner
Date2009
MediumOil paint; Masonite; Wood; Metal; Nylon; Paper; Adhesive
Credit LineGift of Arthur Joseph Rooney, Jr.
DescriptionFramed oil painting on Masonite. Painting depicts male football player kneeling on his proper right knee with proper right hand on hip and Wilson football in proper left hand. Figure is in three-quarter view facing slightly proper right. Figure wears Pittsburgh Steelers football uniform with player number on chest. Figure is kneeling on a green grass football field with goalposts in the right background with a line of green trees and blue mountains behind and blue sky overhead. Rectangular painted black wooden frame with red-brown interior bands.DimensionsHeight x Width x Depth (Framed): 27.5 × 21.375 × 0.938 in. (69.9 × 54.3 × 2.4 cm)Height x Width (Sight size): 22.5 × 16.375 in. (57.2 × 41.6 cm)
SignedArtist signature painted in white to the right of the player's proper right cleat "© KARCHNER 2009".
InscriptionsFigure wears football uniform with yellow "81" on chest.
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. Originally from Clearfield, Pa., Dennis Karchner began drawing as a young child. He studied at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh. After years working in the screen-printing business, he returned to his first love, drawing and painting. Based in Cody, Wyoming, Karchner is known for his Western art, images of native peoples, cowboys, and even current outdoorsmen, such as the Steelers’ Brett Keisel. His pencil and oil renderings are rich in detail and use the raw, natural landscape of the West as a background. After seeing a portrait Karchner painted of broadcaster Curt Gowdy, Art Rooney Jr. contacted him. The two have worked together for the past six years to capture “the warriors” of the gridiron in paint. This painting features Art Rooney, Sr.’s brother Dan – The Chief’s baseball teammate, lifelong friend, and religious counselor. Label TextA three-time Pro Bowl selection, Nickel played for 11 seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1947 to 1957. Considered one of the best tight ends to play for the team, he finished his career with 329 receptions and 37 touchdowns.
Related person
Elbert Everett Nickel
(1922 - 2007)
Collector
Arthur Joseph Rooney Jr.
Related institution
Pittsburgh Steelers
Related institution
Wilson Sporting Goods Company
On View
Not on view
Dennis Karchner
