The Audience
Artist
Ernie Barnes Jr.
(1938 - 2009)
Datec.1968
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions24 x 26"
ClassificationsPainting
Credit LineGift of the Hilbert Collection
Object number2018.036
DescriptionErnie Barnes Jr. was born in Jim Crow-era North Carolina in a neighborhood called “The Bottom” outside of Durham. Unique in the art world, Barnes Jr. experienced multiple careers - from football star to film actor to influential artist. From 1959 to 1965 Barnes Jr. played for the Baltimore Colts, the San Diego Chargers, and the Denver Broncos. Spending so many years in professional football gave Barnes a unique perspective that helped influence the elongated, expressive forms of his figures in his paintings. In 2002, the Oakland Tribune dubbed him “the Picasso of the Black art world,” and in 2004, Barnes was named “America's Best Painter of Sports" by the American Sport Art Museum & Archives. In 2022, his painting “Sugar Shack” was auctioned by Christie’s, going for a final price of $15.3 million. On View
Not on viewCollections
Ernie Barnes Jr.
