Thread by @makedaeaster

ernie barnes’ sugar shack has achieved a near-mythical status since he created the work in the 1970s. i did a deep dive into the history of the painting for my latest story.

latimes.com/entertainment-…

barnes painted sugar shack from a childhood memory — sneaking into the durham armory, a north carolina venue that hosted segregated dances in the 50s and 60s. in one interview barnes said the experience was the “first time my innocence met with the sins of dance.”

as a neo-mannerist painter, barnes painted the dancing partygoers with exaggerated and elongated forms. this expressive style was a nod to the “black is beautiful” movement, celebrating the beauty of black bodies.

it was chance that elevated sugar shack into pop culture. barnes was playing a game of basketball with marvin gaye in the 70s, and the singer noticed the painting in his car. a year or two later, it became the cover artwork for gaye’s 1976 “i want you” album.

producer norman lear also loved barnes’ work. he hired barnes to ghost paintings for the character j.j. in the 70s sitcom good times. sugar shack also appears in the credits of later seasons of the show.

but wanting to be in control of his own work, barnes painted a duplicate of sugar shack in 1976. according to a note written by the artist, he created the second painting because the first “moved around, uninsured” and out of his control.

eddie murphy purchased the original painting some time ago. (according to an 2011 rolling stone story, it's in his basement bowling alley) but the duplicate is currently on view @CAAMinLA until september 8.