In 1977, Andy Warhol was working on the Athletes project, portraits of leading sports figures that he believed had acquired significance beyond sports. Among the Muhammad Ali, Pele, Chris Evert, Jack Nicklaus and Dorothy Hamill was the name of O. J. Simpson.

The portrait, which was commissioned by Warhol’s friend and collector Richard Wiseman, remained in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio for 19 years.

Warhol photographed Simpson in Buffalo on October 19, 1977. According to the auction catalog, an extract from the artist’s diary read: “He had a five day old beard and I thought the pictures would be terrible.”

The portrait, signed by Simpson and Warhol, is described by the Phillips auction house as “a work that brings together two of the most recognizable names of the 20th century.” The House estimates that the portrait will sell for between $300,000 and $500,000. Like any of the athletes on the show, Simpson is not eligible for the proceeds, the auction house said.

“Warhol certainly never imagined how OJ Simpson would be treated 46 years later,” said Robert Manley, head of contemporary art at the house, which will auction the work on May 16.

The O.J. Simpson Case has left a deep mark on court and television annals, and has been covered and explored from multiple perspectives in many television series (the latest documentary on Netflix). The story began on June 13, 1994, shortly after midnight, when a dog with bloody paws, but not injured, was walking as if lost in Brentwood, an expensive area of ​​​​Los Angeles. A local resident who recognized him and took him home saw an open door to the courtyard of a small residential complex. Near the entrance lay two punctured corpses, a man and a woman. It was 35-year-old Nicole Brown Simpson, the ex-wife of rugby legend and TV personality OJ Simpson. The man was later identified as Ronald Goldman, a 25-year-old actor who worked as a waiter.

After an 8-month trial and examination of 150 witnesses, on October 3, 1995, the jury declared that O. J. Simpson was not guilty of the murders of Nicole Brown and Ronald Goldman.

According to the Associated Press