ERNIE BARNES, aka “Big Rembrandt,” was a Durham, NC, native, professional football player, and world-renowned artist.
His subjects included athletes and musicians. Arguably best known for his painting “The Sugar Shack,” which appeared on a Marvin Gaye album cover, Barnes painted the way music sounds, full of rhythm, movement, and life.
On this week’s episode, we stroll through “The North Carolina Roots of Artist Ernie Barnes,” on display at the North Carolina Museum of History, in Raleigh, through March 3. We talk about Barnes’ work, the influence of home, and wonder at the rare phenomenon of athlete-musicians.
Artists mentioned in this episode:
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