In 1973, John Wayne sat for artist Norman Rockwell in his Stockbridge, Massachusetts studio for a painting commissioned by the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City.
The painting later was auctioned in 2018 and the top bidder, a collector, successfully bid $1,496,000 at the Jackson Hole Art Auction.
Here is Wayne with Norman Rockwell as well as the finished painting:
Norman Rockwell passed away in 1978 and Wayne died a year later.
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| Above, John Wayne by Norman Rockwell. |
California Democrats in Orange County are demanding that the county’s John Wayne Airport be renamed and all likenesses of Wayne be removed from the airport, over “racist and bigoted statements” made by the American icon decades ago.
“The Democratic Party of Orange County condemns John Wayne’s racist and bigoted statements, and calls for John Waynes’ name and likeness to be removed from the Orange County airport, and calls on the OC Board of Supervisors to restore its original name: Orange County Airport,” the resolution, passed Friday, says.
The resolution, first reported by the Los Angeles Times, calls on the Orange County Board of Supervisors to reverse the 1979 decision to rename it after Duke, and cites remarks he made in a 1971 interview with Playboy.
“I believe in white supremacy until the blacks are educated to a point of responsibility. I don’t believe in giving authority and positions of leadership and judgment to irresponsible people,” he said in that interview nearly 50 years ago.The way I see the comments, he was saying that black people should not be just handed positions of leadership and authority if they aren't educated enough to shoulder responsibility. His general emphasis was not skin color, it was education.
John Wayne’s family is speaking out after the late actor’s 1971 interview with Playboy resurfaced on social media, resulting in outrage and a fiery debate.
“We hope America remembers John Wayne as we do: a devoted family man, great friend and cherished actor on the big screen, as well as for his continuing work to find a cure for cancer through the John Wayne Cancer Foundation and the John Wayne Cancer Institute,” the John Wayne Family wrote in a statement to Fox News.
“It’s unfair to judge someone on something that was written that he said nearly 50 years ago when the person is no longer here to respond,” the statement continued. “Regardless of color, ethnicity or sexual preference, [our] father taught us to treat all people the same, with respect.”
Wayne was also asked about educator/activist Angela Davis and discrimination. He responded, “With a lot of blacks, there’s quite a bit of resentment along with their dissent, and possibly rightfully so. But we can’t all of a sudden get down on our knees and turn everything over to the leadership of the blacks. I believe in white supremacy until the blacks are educated to a point of responsibility. I don’t believe in giving authority and positions of leadership and judgment to irresponsible people.”
Lewis then shot back at Wayne, asking if the actor was equipped to judge “which blacks are irresponsible and which of their leaders inexperienced.” Wayne responded, “It’s not judgment. The academic community has developed certain tests that determine whether the blacks are sufficiently equipped scholastically. But some blacks have tried to force the issue and enter college when they haven’t passed the tests and don’t have the requisite background.”
“I don’t know why people insist that blacks have been forbidden their right to go to school,” continued Wayne. “They were allowed in public schools wherever I’ve been. Even if they don’t have the proper credentials for college, there are courses to help them become eligible. But if they aren’t academically ready for the step, I don’t think they should be allowed in. Otherwise, the academic society is brought down to the lowest common denominator.
“… There has to be a standard. I don’t feel guilty about the fact that five or 10 generations ago these people were slaves. Now, I’m not condoning slavery. It’s just a fact of life, like the kid who gets infantile paralysis and has to wear braces so he can’t play football with the rest of us. I will say this, though: I think any black who can compete with a white today can get a better break than a white man. I wish they’d tell me where in the world they have it better than right here in America.”Wayne was echoing what Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said about black and education, although, admittedly, not so artfully articulated.
“It seems to me that education has a two-fold function to perform in the life of man and in society: the one is utility and the other is culture. Education must enable a man to become more efficient, to achieve with increasing facility the legitimate goals of his life.”
“At this point, I often wonder whether or not education is fulfilling its purpose. A great majority of the so-called educated people do not think logically and scientifically. Even the press, the classroom, the platform, and the pulpit in many instances do not give us objective and unbiased truths. To save man from the morass of propaganda, in my opinion, is one of the chief aims of education. Education must enable one to sift and weigh evidence, to discern the true from the false, the real from the unreal, and the facts from the fiction.”
“But I believe as we struggle with these problems, we’ve got to struggle with them with a method that can be militant but at the same time does not destroy life or property. And so our slogan must not be ‘Burn, baby, burn.’ It must be, ‘Build, baby, build.’ ‘Organize, baby, organize.’ Yes, our slogan must be ‘Learn, baby, learn,’ so that we can earn, baby, earn.”
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| Above, Norman Rockwell's portrait of John Wayne. |
The Jackson Hole Art Auction announced that an iconic Norman Rockwell painting of John Wayne will headline the auction’s addendum.
“They’re two American icons and legends,” auction coordinator Madison Webb said. “What Norman Rockwell did for Americana and illustration, Wayne did for the American West in film. To see two titans of industry come together is really amazing, and both left an indelible mark on the American landscape and culture.”
The painting, a 38- by 31-inch oil on canvas, is estimated to worth between $1 and $1.5 million dollars. Fresh to the auction market, the painting was brought to the auction from a private collection.
The auction, a signature event of September’s Fall Art Festival put on by Trailside Galleries and Gerald Peters Gallery, will take place Sept. 14 and Sept. 15. The year will feature the auction’s largest sale.
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| Above, John Wayne and Norman Rockwell during the time of the portrait sitting. |
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| Above, the Boy Scout Handbook I used during my Boy Scout days. Photo by Jess. |
