As a Black kid growing up in a poor neighborhood in Durham, North Carolina, in the age of Jim Crow, Ernie Barnes faced long odds to become an artist.
The opportunities simply weren't there for children like him. Yet, despite segregation banning him from even visiting many art museums, Barnes grew up to become a hugely influential artist with an extraordinary reputation for highlighting the experiences of Black Americans, which the art world too often ignores.
Of the dozens of iconic paintings Barnes created over his decades-long career, his most famous work, 1976’s “The Sugar Shack,” sold for more than $15 million in 2022. “The Sugar Shack,” which features a dance hall with patrons dancing joyfully, would later be seen on the cover of Marvin Gaye’s “I Want You” album and in the closing credits of the sitcom "Good Times."
This connection to music and popular culture became a crucial element of Barnes' legacy.
The next Barnes piece to sell will be a bit of a departure from his standard portfolio, as SCP Auctions will offer a painting commissioned in 1965 of Willie Mays during his MVP season. It's expected to sell for six figures, but given its one-of-a-kind nature, estimates might not be very helpful.
How did Barnes develop into a world-renowned artist when he literally wasn't even allowed to look at a painting in a museum growing up?
His mother, Fannie Geer Barnes, played a critical role. When she went to work at the home of a local attorney, she would often bring the 7-year-old Barnes and encourage him to take advantage of the plentiful art books around the house.
By the time he entered first grade, Barnes was already a bit of a virtuoso, storing a working knowledge of the famous works by the old masters, namely Michelangelo. This wouldn’t protect him from the ruthless bullying he suffered at the hands of his classmates. The introverted, thoughtful Barnes, who played trombone, read poetry and didn’t play sports, was a prime target.
Barnes always had his sketchbook, however, which he would use frequently to escape from reality and into the world of his own creativity.
Barnes’ mother continuously pushed him to enrich his cultural experiences and learnings, enrolling him in tap dancing, violin, piano and more.
But art was always Barnes’ true calling.
“I was never in class,” Barnes once recalled. “I was always off somewhere decorating stuff.”
Desperately hoping to fit in, Barnes approached the football coach’s office and joined the team. As a large kid, he was encouraged to try his hand on the defensive line. On the football team, Barnes had his first encounter with the weightlifting coach, who not only would help Barnes get into football shape, but he also took a keen interest in Barnes’ artistic skills, recognizing his potential and encouraging the teenager.
Whether a result of the extra time spent in the weight room or the confidence boost that comes along with a mentor’s belief in you, Barnes emerged as an elite talent on the gridiron. He was named captain his senior year and received 26 scholarship offers to play football in college.
Opting to stay close to home, Barnes attended North Carolina College, where he continued to shine.
While still in college, Barnes sold his first painting, titled “Slow Dance,” to Celtics rookie Sam Jones for $90.
As he straddled the line between triumph on the football field and creative satisfaction on the canvas, professional teams came to see Barnes in droves. Still, his heart was set on the life of an artist.
Ultimately, he was drafted by the NFL's Baltimore Colts in 1960, but instead played five seasons in the AFL with the New York Titans, San Diego Chargers and Denver Broncos.
The years spent in the AFL, traveling the country and being exposed to all types of new cultures, further opened his eyes to the racism and injustices rife within society.
To say he was hardly focused on solely football would not be a stretch.
“Throughout my five seasons in the arena of professional football, I remained at the deepest level of my being, an artist,” Barnes said.
Eager to kick start his artistic career, even while playing pro football, Barnes showed up at the 1965 AFL owners’ meeting to pitch them on becoming the first official painter of a franchise. As luck would have it, New York Jets owner Sonny Werblin signed Barnes to what essentially amounted to a player contract, instead bringing him on as the team’s official painter.
Werblin was also instrumental in raising Barnes’ profile, paying for the shipment of Barnes’ works to New York for a viewing by art critics, who called him “the most expressive painter of sports since George Bellows.”
Barnes' work became popular with celebrities such as Harry Belafonte, Burt Lancaster, Eddie Murphy, Diana Ross, Sylvester Stallone, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Bill Withers.
Hollywood executive Steve Blauner, who would later become known for working on shows such as “Bewitched” and “I Dream of Jeannie,” used his mutual friend Sammy Davis Jr. to ask Barnes to produce the painting of Mays in honor of his 1965 season.
Though it didn’t occur overnight, Barnes, who died in 2009, was ultimately recognized as one of the greatest painters of his generation, particularly of the Black experience.
Graig Kreindler, an artist known as “the painter of the National Pastime,” renowned for his hyper-realistic portrayals of historic ballplayers, says Barnes’ style of elongated figures and compositions influenced modern day artists such as Kadir Nelson.
“He’s gotta be one of the first modern Black painters who was doing genre work, as opposed to the abstract Impressionism and pop stuff that was popular at the time,” Kreindler said, contextualizing Barnes' trail-blazing career.
Barnes' career achievements, from being named the official artist of the 1984 Olympics to working with Kanye West on album art, are hardly necessary to recount. His most salient impact and legacy remains the insight he brought to the Black experience.
“He has become a beacon of hope, shining from the inner-city streets and the dirt playgrounds of rural North Carolina ...” said Jack Kemp, former Chargers quarterback, U.S. congressman and Ernie’s teammate. “A manifestation of the American Dream … Ernie’s art helps play a very positive role in uplifting … our nation.”
The Mays painting was passed down in the Blauner family for decades, with little information of its existence available until now.
SCP Auctions will sell the piece publicly for the first time, with bidding beginning Nov. 6. This work is distinct, not only due to its provenance, but also as a departure from the rest of the artist's oeuvre, which rarely focused on a single subject.
SCP’s David Kohler says Mays was Blauner’s favorite player, mentioning the strong connection between Blauner, Davis Jr., and Barnes.
SCP typically deals in sports memorabilia and cards rather than art, but the auction did sell four original Barnes paintings in 2017. Kohler said “The Sugar Shack” sale in 2022 has dramatically changed the market for Barnes’ work, and collectors have been keeping tabs on his art.
“We’ve been called by clients saying, ‘Hey, are those paintings available? Do you know where those are?'” Kohler said.
Due to the one-off nature of the Mays painting, the unique circumstances around which the work was consigned, and its sports connection, estimates are quite difficult to come by honestly, though Kohler feels comfortable placing a conservative estimate of $100,000 and up.
Barnes was once asked by a curator what he hoped to achieve with his art.
“Liberating humanity from within,” he replied.
Will Stern is a reporter and editor for cllct.