Shaq

Edition of 32

William Quigley established his focus on iconic athletes early, painting Michael Jordan (1989), Magic Johnson (1991), and Charles Barkley (1993). In 1995, he met Shaquille O’Neal at his downtown LA Brewery Art Studio positioned right on the movie set of Kazaam. He was invited to play in pickup games with visiting NBA stars including Paul Pierce, Clyde Drexler, Brian Shaw, and Penny Hardaway. So Quigley painted Shaq’s portrait — the second athlete after Jordan to acquire one and one of Shaq’s first art purchases — and sold him a portrait of Arnold Schwarzenegger, originally considered by the actor himself. Ironically, following Shaq’s trade to the Lakers, he moved into Arnold’s Venice offices, where Arnold remarked he had planned to buy the painting; although good friends, Shaq declined. Quigley gained access to the Lakers’ locker room from 1996–1999, where Shaq introduced him to a young Kobe Bryant. Both Philadelphia natives, Quigley and Bryant connected instantly and stayed in contact Kobe's entire career, resulting in four portraits, including the famous 2019 work never seen by Bryant or his family. Word quickly spread, leading to commissions from numerous other athletes and cementing Quigley’s reputation for capturing sports legends. This was the first painting Shaq bought in LA. He has since built a contemporary art collection worth millions, including works by Anselm Kiefer, Maurizio Cattalan, Kehinde Wiley, and others, that he showcased in 2010 at the Flagg Foundation in a show called Size Matters, Shaq's mother did not want her sons cherished portrait to leave her home for the show, further underscoring the cultural and collectible value of Quigley’s paintings. 

Hand-signed, artist-supervised, archival museum-quality print. Limited edition of 32.