Artist Lee Wybranski’s tribute to Jack Nicklaus.
GOLF
Nerves? You better believe Lee Wybranski felt them. The famed golf artist’s latest work wasn’t only a painting of the world’s most famous golf course that’s home to the world’s biggest golf tournament, but it also featured a certain 18-time major champion: Jack Nicklaus.
No pressure, right?
“This is the very first time for me that I’ve been able to work with one of the greatest of all time, so that does add a little bit of pressure,” Wybranski said. “But another way to say pressure is excitement. And we’re very excited here about this project.”
The painting ties together Augusta National and Nicklaus like never before. The best part? You can own one by bidding on the prints here.
Wybranski’s latest creation — which you can see come to life, with the help of Nicklaus, in the video above — is a breathtaking rendering of the famed par-3 12th hole at Augusta National, complete with Rae’s Creek, the Hogan Bridge and vibrant azaleas.
“I told Lee that although I am not an artist, we share a similar trait when it comes to what I do in golf course design,” Nicklaus said. “I look at a piece of land like a blank canvas and then I create. And my goal is create something that people can enjoy for many years.”
The centerpiece of the creation, however, is Nicklaus, the Masters’ greatest champion.
Wybranski painted six different depictions of Nicklaus, all ionic poses from his six Masters victories: in 1963, ’65, ’66, ’72, ’75 and ’86.
Strokes of Genius: How artist Lee Wybranski honored the greatest Masters champion, Jack Nicklaus
The artist also included some personal Nicklaus touches, like the Golden Bear symbol in the bottom-right corner and three pennies in the bottom left. When Wybranski met with Nicklaus via teleconference before he started working on the painting, he learned Nicklaus always carried three pennies with him: one to mark his ball, another as a backup in case the first was lost and a third if a playing partner needed one. Wybranski wanted to include the coins.
The painting is imbued with metallic gold, and the pennies, logo and elements of the Nicklaus figures are all subtly raised off the prints.
Here’s where you, the ultimate Nicklaus fan, come in. Only 86 of these 30-by-20 inch collectors’ items are available to the public via auction. All of them are individually numbered (1/86) and autographed by both Nicklaus and Wybranski.
To try and secure yours, click on the link below and go to our auction page (bidding opened at 9 a.m. ET on Friday and started at $1,800). Eighty-three are currently available, and the bidding window ends at noon ET on Thursday, April 7. Once you bid, you’ll receive a confirmation email; you will also be notified whenever you’re outbid. The winning bids will be sent an email when the auction ends. (Three of the prints — Nos. 1, 18 and 86 — will be auctioned off at a later date.)
To learn more about the project and how the painting came to life, read GOLF senior writer Michael Bamberger’s story, which appeared in the April 2022 edition of GOLF Magazine.
Nicklaus Companies and GOLF.com are affiliates of 8AM Golf.
All of our market picks are independently selected and curated by the editorial team. If you buy a linked product, GOLF.COM may earn a fee. Pricing may vary.
Signed, limited-edition Jack Nicklaus lithograph from artist Lee Wybranski
Auction
Only 86 of these lithographs will be available to the public. All are autographed by both Jack Nicklaus and the artist, Lee Wybranski, and celebrate Nicklaus’ historic six Masters victories.
English
French
German
Italian
Japanese
Spanish