John J. Henehan, Jr—20 years old, slight build, brown wavy hair, tattoos. Warhol made him famous.

Actually, John Jr was marginally infamous before Warhol came along.

His mugshot was taken by the New York Police Department on October 27, 1958. The photo’s accompanying description read in part, “…being a person of slight build, with brown wavy hair, brown eyes and tattoo marks: on left arm, a panther and a rose with Eileen and John: on right arm, a heart.”

After he fled and disappeared prior to trial, John J. Henehan, Jr was sought by the FBI as a “most wanted” for armed robbery and drug possession.

Andy Warhol became part of the John Henehan, Jr story in 1964 when he included the mugshots of Henehan and 12 other criminals in a commission for the 1964 World’s Fair in New York.

I’ve been a fan of Warhol’s 13 Most Wanted series for decades—I’ve always found the image of Henehan the most intriguing, the most interesting of the group. I was 14 years old when Warhol created the larger-than-life image of Henehan and, to me, he looked a lot like teenagers hanging around the high schools and soda fountains in Kansas where I grew up.

Last May, Christie’s sold Most Wanted Men No. 11, John Joseph H., Jr at their Post-War and Contemporary Evening Sale in New York. 

It sold for $28.4 million. This is the promotional video Christie’s produced prior to the sale. It’s a fine explainer and engaging promotional piece.

Christie’s also has an outstanding backgrounder story on their website. It’s a great narrative.

Andy Warhol (1928-1987)
Most Wanted Men No. 11, John Joseph H., Jr.
signed ‘Andy Warhol’ (on the reverse of each canvas)
diptych—silkscreen ink on linen
each: 49 x 38 in. (124.5 x 96.5 cm.)
Painted in 1964.
Provenance:
Mickey Ruskin, New York 
Walter Kelly Gallery, New York 
Leo Castelli Gallery, New York
The Greenberg Gallery, Saint Louis
Irena Hochman Fine Art Ltd., New York, 1983 
Saatchi Collection, London, 1983 
Anon. sale; Sotheby’s, New York, 06 May 1992, lot 39 
Acquired at the above sale by the present owner



By Stephen Brockelman

As a Sr. Writer at T. Rowe Price, I work with a group of the best copywriters around. We belong to the broader creative team within Enterprise Creative, a part of Corporate Marketing Services. _____________________________________________ A long and winding road: My path to T. Rowe Price was more twisted than Fidelity’s green line. With scholarship in hand, I left Kansas at 18 to study theatre in New York. When my soap opera paychecks stopped coming from CBS and started coming from the show’s sponsor, Proctor & Gamble, I discovered the power of advertising and switched careers. Over the years I’ve owned an ad agency in San Francisco; worked for Norman Lear on All in the Family, Good Times, Sanford and Son, and the rest of his hit shows; and as a member of Directors Guild of America, I directed Desi Arnaz in his last television appearance— we remained friends until his death. In 1988 I began freelancing full time didn’t look back. In January 2012 my rep at Boss Group called and said, “I know you don’t want to commute and writing for the financial industry isn’t high on your wish list, but I have a gig with T. Rowe Price in Owings Mills…” I was a contractor for eight months, drank the corporate Kool-Aid, became a TRP associate that August, and today I find myself smiling more often than not.

8 comments

    1. Stephen Brockelman – Baltimore, Maryland – As a Sr. Writer at T. Rowe Price, I work with a group of the best copywriters around. We belong to the broader creative team within Enterprise Creative, a part of Corporate Marketing Services. _____________________________________________ A long and winding road: My path to T. Rowe Price was more twisted than Fidelity’s green line. With scholarship in hand, I left Kansas at 18 to study theatre in New York. When my soap opera paychecks stopped coming from CBS and started coming from the show’s sponsor, Proctor & Gamble, I discovered the power of advertising and switched careers. Over the years I’ve owned an ad agency in San Francisco; worked for Norman Lear on All in the Family, Good Times, Sanford and Son, and the rest of his hit shows; and as a member of Directors Guild of America, I directed Desi Arnaz in his last television appearance— we remained friends until his death. In 1988 I began freelancing full time didn’t look back. In January 2012 my rep at Boss Group called and said, “I know you don’t want to commute and writing for the financial industry isn’t high on your wish list, but I have a gig with T. Rowe Price in Owings Mills…” I was a contractor for eight months, drank the corporate Kool-Aid, became a TRP associate that August, and today I find myself smiling more often than not.
      Brockelman says:

      You’re correct, that’s what the tattoo on his arm read. But the story is correct, because the NYPD report reads “Eileen and John.”

      Reply
      1. Stephen Brockelman – Baltimore, Maryland – As a Sr. Writer at T. Rowe Price, I work with a group of the best copywriters around. We belong to the broader creative team within Enterprise Creative, a part of Corporate Marketing Services. _____________________________________________ A long and winding road: My path to T. Rowe Price was more twisted than Fidelity’s green line. With scholarship in hand, I left Kansas at 18 to study theatre in New York. When my soap opera paychecks stopped coming from CBS and started coming from the show’s sponsor, Proctor & Gamble, I discovered the power of advertising and switched careers. Over the years I’ve owned an ad agency in San Francisco; worked for Norman Lear on All in the Family, Good Times, Sanford and Son, and the rest of his hit shows; and as a member of Directors Guild of America, I directed Desi Arnaz in his last television appearance— we remained friends until his death. In 1988 I began freelancing full time didn’t look back. In January 2012 my rep at Boss Group called and said, “I know you don’t want to commute and writing for the financial industry isn’t high on your wish list, but I have a gig with T. Rowe Price in Owings Mills…” I was a contractor for eight months, drank the corporate Kool-Aid, became a TRP associate that August, and today I find myself smiling more often than not.
        Brockelman says:

        You can find the documentation in WARHOL, Andy. Dossier no. 2357 | The Thirteen Most Wanted Men. Paris: Galerie Ileana Sonnabend, (1967). Copies are available from a number of rare booksellers: https://www.oliverwoodbooks.com/products/warhol-andy-dossier-no-2357-cover-title-the-thirteen-most-wanted-men-paris-galerie-ileana-sonnabend-1967

  2. I understand. Please understand that this man had a family and I really think that if you knew the NYPD got it wrong that there could’ve been a mention of what the tattoo really said. Jeanne was his wife of many years.

    Reply
    1. Stephen Brockelman – Baltimore, Maryland – As a Sr. Writer at T. Rowe Price, I work with a group of the best copywriters around. We belong to the broader creative team within Enterprise Creative, a part of Corporate Marketing Services. _____________________________________________ A long and winding road: My path to T. Rowe Price was more twisted than Fidelity’s green line. With scholarship in hand, I left Kansas at 18 to study theatre in New York. When my soap opera paychecks stopped coming from CBS and started coming from the show’s sponsor, Proctor & Gamble, I discovered the power of advertising and switched careers. Over the years I’ve owned an ad agency in San Francisco; worked for Norman Lear on All in the Family, Good Times, Sanford and Son, and the rest of his hit shows; and as a member of Directors Guild of America, I directed Desi Arnaz in his last television appearance— we remained friends until his death. In 1988 I began freelancing full time didn’t look back. In January 2012 my rep at Boss Group called and said, “I know you don’t want to commute and writing for the financial industry isn’t high on your wish list, but I have a gig with T. Rowe Price in Owings Mills…” I was a contractor for eight months, drank the corporate Kool-Aid, became a TRP associate that August, and today I find myself smiling more often than not.
      Brockelman says:

      That’s wonderful input Cindy, and I’ll work on a revision to include it. Thanks so much for helping me stay accurate and share valuable context.

      Reply

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