Venus and Serena Williams are setting foot in the art philanthropy arena with their upcoming charity auction of works by Ernie Barnes, the late American artist known for his unique and elongated depictions of movement and athleticism. Alongside their sister Isha Price, the tennis stars are offering up four of Barnes’ paintings in a sale estimated to bring in between $240,000 and $355,000.
With bidding opening on July 24, the auction will highlight never-before-seen works created by Barnes between 1986 and 2008, including his portrayal of high-society women in Holding Court and the huddled and suited-up men of Mentors. The lots also include Saxophone Study #1 and Study for Brother to Brother, two of Barnes’ pencil sketches. “Through his vibrant imagery, he envisioned a colorful world of harmony between all communities, backgrounds, and races,” said Serena in a statement, adding that her family has long admired Barnes’ work.
A football-player-turned-painter, Barnes was inspired by athletes, often choosing basketball players, boxers, runners and gymnasts as his subjects. His most well-known painting, the 1976 Sugar Shack, was used as the album cover for Marvin Gaye’s I Want You and sold for $15.3 million at Christie’s last year. The artist’s “depictions of African-American experience are exemplary of his dedication to racial equity, civil rights, and social justice,” according to Joopiter, the digital auction house hosting the upcoming sale. Founded by Pharrell Williams, the auction platform launched earlier this year and recently made headlines with its sale of a microscope MSCHF handbag, measuring under 0.03 inches wide, for $63,000 in June.
The proceeds of the auction will benefit the Yetunde Price Resource Center, a non-profit that works on trauma prevention. Created by Venus, Serena and Isha, the center was founded in memory of their sister Yetunde, who was murdered in a drive-by shooting in 2003. “Ernie Barnes’ artwork played a profound role in creating societal change, and we hope this partnership will similarly inspire, uplift and make a lasting difference in the lives of individuals and communities we serve,” said Venus in a statement.
Philanthropic auctions are nothing new for Venus Williams
This is the second charity auction Venus has been involved with in recent months. In May, she partnered up with artist Adam Pendleton to hold an auction at Sotheby’s and a gala dinner at Pace Gallery to help fund the preservation and restoration of the childhood home of Nina Simone, bringing in nearly $6 million through the initiative. Serena, meanwhile, is a prominent art collector. In 2021, she revealed that her Miami home contains its own art gallery in place of a dining room, complete with works from artists like Leonardo Drew, David Kracov, Radcliffe Bailey and Brendan Marshall.
This isn’t the first time the two tennis icons have paired up in their philanthropic efforts. In 2017, Venus and Serena donated $1 million towards the construction of a tennis complex in Miramar, Florida, which encourages minorities to engage in the sport. Venus has also been a funder of the Harlem Junior Tennis and Education Program, which focuses on teaching tennis to youth and has donated to programs focused on female education from the humanitarian organization CARE.
Serena, who has been a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador since 2011, has also focused on educational opportunities through her philanthropy, helping construct secondary schools in both Jamaica and Kenya. In addition to giving to Imagine LA, a non-profit fighting family poverty, in 2020, she donated her prize money of $43,000 from the ASB Classic to Australian wildfire relief. And throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, she helped donate more than 4 million face masks to students across the U.S.