Acrylic on paper, 1989. 654x965 mm; 25 3/4x38 inches. Signed and inscribed "Study" in acrylic, lower right recto. With the artist's ink copyright stamp, verso.
Provenance: acquired directly from the artist; private collection, Oregon (2001).
Best known for his album cover artwork, Sugar Shack for I Want You by Marvin Gaye, Ernie Barnes often portrayed sport scenes as well. In this study, Barnes depicts two basketball players with elongated features mid-action, painting them at a very low angle. Barnes dramatizes the behind the back dribble made famous by Magic Johnson. Ernie Barnes played NFL for the Baltimore Colts, Titans of New York, Denver Broncos and was also one of the official poster artists of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games.
