Portrait of Art Rooney, Sr.
Object number2017.65.9
Artist
Dennis Karchner
Manufacturer
Crescent Cardboard Company
Date2007
MediumPencil; Paperboard; Adhesive tape
Credit LineGift of Arthur Joseph Rooney, Jr.
DescriptionDrawing in pencil on rectangular white paperboard. Black and white drawing depicts bust portrait of a man in three-quarter view facing slightly proper left. Figure is an older male, wears a flat cap and black-rimmed eyeglasses, and is smoking a cigar. Figure’s white collared shirt is sketched in. Background is white. Reverse of paperboard is blue.DimensionsHeight x Width x Depth: 10.938 × 8.5 × 0.125 in. (27.8 × 21.6 × 0.3 cm)SignedArtist signature in pencil to the bottom right of drawn image “©KARCHNER - 2007”.
MarksReverse has partial blue printed maker logo in top right corner with text "COMPANY".
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 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
Related institution
James Gallery
On View
Not on view
Mervin Allen Corning
Dennis Karchner
Dennis Karchner
