[2] Warhol and nine (originally ten) other artists were commissioned in 1962 to create works to decorate 20 feet (6.1 m) square spaces at the New York State Pavilion.
Government officials quickly objected to the images and on April 16 1964—two weeks before the fair was due to open—Philip Johnson, the pavilion architect, told Warhol that he must remove or replace the work within 24 hours.
The stated reason was that the Governor of New York Nelson Rockefeller was concerned that the images—mostly depicting men of Italian descent—would be insulting to an important segment of his electorate.
Some critics have seen the monochrome silver 20 feet (6.1 m) square painted over the mural as a separate artwork, as a form of ironic comment on images of the "most wanted" men not being desired at the World's Fair.
[3] Later commentators have also suggested that the title "wanted" bears a double meaning, referring to homosexual desire, with the mugshots rearranged so many of the men were looking at each other.