A leading 20th century artist well-known for his unique style of movement, Ernie Barnes (1938-2009) is the first American professional athlete to become a noted painter.
Born and raised in Durham, North Carolina during segregation, Ernie Barnes captured the lively spirit of his community in his artwork.Barnes created some of the twentieth century’s most iconic images of African American life. Known for his unique “neo-mannerist” approach of presenting figures through elongated forms, he captured his observations of life growing up in North Carolina, playing professional football in the NFL (1960–1964), and living in Los Angeles.
In recent times, Barnes’ 1976 painting "The Sugar Shack," (a nightclub scene that appeared in the opening credits of the TV series Good Times and on the cover of a Marvin Gaye album) sold in May 2022 at Christie's auction house for $15.2 million – 76 times its high estimate.