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Fiona  Armer

Ernie Barnes

Artist Biography

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Ernie Barnes

Considered one of the foremost African-American painters, Ernie Barnes is well-known for his unique style of elongation and movement. He was also a former professional football player, actor and author.

Barnes was born during the Jim Crow era in Durham, North Carolina. As a child, he was intrigued and captivated by the works of master artists. A self-described chubby and unathletic child, he was taunted and bullied by classmates. A weightlifting coach took an interest in him and by Ernie's high school senior year, he was offered 26 athletic scholarships.

Segregation prevented him from considering nearby UNC or Duke University, so he attended North Carolina College on a football scholarship and majored in art. Barnes credits his college art instructor Ed Wilson for laying the foundation for his development as an artist. He advised Barnes to paint from his own life experiences. "He made me conscious of the fact that the artist who is useful to America is one who studies his own life and records it through the medium of art, manners and customs of his own experiences,” said Barnes.

In 1959, Barnes was drafted by the then-World Champion Baltimore Colts football team. He spent the next five seasons as an offensive lineman for the San Diego Chargers and Denver Broncos. In 1965, New York Jets owner Sonny Werblin recognized Barnes' artistic potential and replaced his football salary for one season so he could devote himself "to just paint.” One year later, Barnes made his debut in a critically acclaimed solo exhibition at Grand Central Art Galleries in Manhattan and retired from football. His autobiography "From Pads to Palette” chronicles his transition from athlete to artist.

Barnes' ability to capture the powerful energy and movement of sports earned him "America's Best Painter of Sports” by the American Sports Art Museum. He was also appointed the official Sports Artist for the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympics. His sports commissions include "A Dream Unfolds,” for the NBA to commemorate their 50th anniversary; "Fastbreak” for Los Angeles Lakers owner Dr. Jerry Buss; and paintings for the owners of the Carolina Panthers, New Orleans Saints, Oakland Raiders and Boston Patriots football teams.

All his life, Barnes was ambivalent about his football experience. In interviews and in personal appearances, Barnes said he hated the violence and the physical torment of the sport. However, his years as an athlete gave him unique, in-depth observations. "(Wilson) told me to pay attention to what my body felt like in movement. Within that elongation, there's a feeling. And attitude and expression. I hate to think had I not played sports what my work would look like.”

For over 45 years, his neo-mannerism style of art has been admired and collected internationally. His national traveling exhibition "The Beauty of the Ghetto” in the 1970s featured some of his timeless works such as "Storyteller” "High Aspirations” and "The Graduate.” His famous 1971 "Sugar Shack” dance scene appeared on the "Good Times” television show and on the Marvin Gaye album "I Want You.” This image has been widely imitated and Barnes' expressive style has influenced countless aspiring artists.

Critics have defined Barnes' work as neo-Mannerist. Based on his signature use of serpentine lines, elongation of the human figure, clarity of line, unusual spatial relationships, painted frames, and distinctive color palettes, art critic Frank Getlein credited Barnes as the founder of the neo-Mannerism movement because of the similarity of technique and composition prevalent during the 16th century, as practiced by such masters as Michelangelo and Raphael.

Barnes' final public exhibition was in October 2007 when the National Football League and Time Warner sponsored "A Tribute to Artist and NFL Alumni Ernie Barnes” in New York City. At the time of his passing, Barnes had been working on an exhibition titled "Liberating Humanity From Within” which featured a majority of paintings he created in the last three years of his life. Plans are underway for the exhibition to travel throughout the country and abroad.

Ernie Barnes Art, Prints and Posters Collection