ERNIE EUGENE BARNES, JR. (1938 - 2009): THE COMEDIAN

The Comedian (Norman Lear); oil on canvas; signed lower right; Provenance: the original Comedian, a luminous portrait of the iconic television producer, Norman Lear. This piece was painted as a gift for Lear in 1976. Lear propelled Barnes' career when he gave Barnes the contract to paint all the works used in The Good Times smash hit sitcom in the 70's. That show and the artist's celebrated painting Sugar Shack in the closing credits made Ernie Barnes famous. Barnes later painted another variation of the Comedian, which was released in 1978, one of the most famous lithographs by Barnes. Notably, Lear gave this work to writer and actor Lincoln Kibbee when he left Embassy Pictures in 1985, Lincoln's father, who had recently passed away, was also a comedy writer and close friend and colleague of Norman Lear. The paintnig was treasured by Lincoln until he died in 1995.;24 x 18 inches; 24 3/4 x 18 3/4 inches frame
Condition Report: some areas of canvas exposed at framers edge, small residue in lower left quadrant. UV light does bring up some areas above the popcorn on the floor and on the upper right side. The painting will benefit from a cleaning and the residue looks removable.