Images(4)

Portrait of Bill Nunn

Object number2017.65.15

Artist Dennis Karchner

OriginItaly

MediumOil paint; Masonite; Wood; Fabric; Paper; Metal

Credit LineGift of Arthur Joseph Rooney, Jr.

DescriptionFramed oil painting on Masonite. Rectangular painting depicts close-up bust portrait of older male straight on. Figure has white hair, gazes directly at the viewer, and wears a brown sweater and a Super Bowl XIV ring on his proper left ring finger. Partial team name visible on figure’s proper left chest. Painted brown wooden frame with beige fabric mat.DimensionsHeight x Width x Depth (Framed): 23.75 × 20.75 × 1.625 in. (60.3 × 52.7 × 4.1 cm)
Height x Width (Sight size): 15.563 × 12.563 in. (39.5 × 31.9 cm)
SignedArtist signature painted in white in bottom right corner “©KARCHNER”.
InscriptionsFigure’s ring has painted text “Super Bowl / XIV”.

Black text on figure’s proper left chest “Ste”.
MarksReverse of frame has repeated black printed text “LARSON JUHL 866362 Made in Italy”.
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 TextAs a sportswriter, editor, and eventually managing editor of the Pittsburgh Courier newspaper, Nunn’s knowledge and reach in the world of sport ran deep. In the 1950s Nunn began to lead the paper’s selection of the All-American football team. His relationships with black colleges and universities and his knowledge and assessment skills made him an invaluable resource when they Steelers tapped him as a scout in 1966. Nunn and Art Rooney, Jr. worked closely together on identifying the players that Noll built into the Steelers dynasty in the 1970s. The Steelers 1974 draft is considered one of the greatest of all times and a crowning achievement in Rooney’s years as director of player personnel.

Related person William Goldwyn Nunn Jr. (1924 - 2014)

Collector Arthur Joseph Rooney Jr.

Related institution Pittsburgh Steelers

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