Michael Jordan & Summer Premium Auction Closing July 18 10PM Eastern
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 7/18/2020
The master sports artist Stephen Holland has captured the grace, power, and stark isolation of the Hall of Fame center Bill Russell in this captivating original oil painting. Russell, one of the greatest basketball players of any era, averaged an incredible 15.1 points and 22.5 rebounds per game during his Boston Celtics career and won five NBA MVP awards. Russell was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1975 and was named as one of the NBA’s 50 Greatest Players during the Association’s 50th season.
The two subjects of the painting, Russell and half of a gray basketball, occupy a small but significant space on the 24 x 48-inch artwork, with range of canvas behind Russell painted in a mass of grays and blacks. The 11-time NBA champion is portrayed in his crisp Celtics home jersey, with his iconic number “6” standing out clearly on the durene jersey. Holland has signed the painting and added “‘95” for the year the painting was created. This tremendous original oil painting is accompanied by a LOA from Sam Battisone.