Offset lithograph in colors, 1986, pencil signed and marked as artist's proof lower martin, matted and framed.

Frame dimensions 29 1/4 x 37 1/4 in.

Ernie Barnes is known both as an artist and as a professional athlete. He was born in Durham, North Carolina during the Jim Crow Era, where his father was a shipping clerk for Liggett & Myers Tobacco Company and his mother ran the household for a local attorney. The attorney shared his extensive art book collection with Ernie, so Ernie was well-read in the arts by the time he began elementary school.

As a reserved child at school, Ernie was inspired by what he'd read and found solace in drawing. He also showed great promise as an athlete, ultimately becoming the captain of the football team and state champion in the shot put in high school. He went on to play football professionally as an offensive lineman for the New York Titans, the San Diego Chargers and the Denver Broncos, while simultaneously embarking on a successful career as a painter. In 1965, New York Jets owner Sonny Werblin paid Barnes a season’s salary to practice painting and then sponsored his first solo show at a well-known art gallery. Barnes retired from football at the age of 28 to paint full time.

Barnes is unique in his exceptional skill as an athlete and an artist, and for his union of both. North Carolina landmarks such as front porches, pool halls, and sports scenes often appear in his work that depicts everyday life, as seen in this print showing the famous basketball rivalry between the Duke Blue Devils and the UNC Tarheels.

Good estate condition; some spots to framing; not examined out of frame.