1984: Ernie Barnes — "Sunday's Hero"
Barnes' interest in the arts flourished early in life through his contact with a prominent attorney for whom his mother served as a domestic. He received an athletic scholarship from North Carolina College, allowing him to pursue a degree in art, which had always been his refuge in times of disdain.
He was immediately drafted into the American Football League, and spent the next five years playing for the San Diego Chargers and the Denver Bronco's. In 1965, New York Jets owner David (Sonny) Werblin recognized Barnes' artistic potential and replaced his football salary for a year, so he could devote himself to painting. Barnes made his professional debut in a solo exhibition at New York's prestigious Grand Central Art Galleries, home to American masters, Edward Hopper and Thomas Hart Benton. More on Barnes
1985: Donald Moss — "Walter Payton"
Serving as the premier artist for Sports Illustrated for 30 years, Moss has painted more covers and editorial illustrations than any American painter. A resident of Connecticut and an avid skier, he has designed logos for Loin Ski Company, AMF/Head, Stratton Mountain and Moutain Aerial. Golf enthusiasts easily recognize the image "Eighteen Best Golf Holes in America," and in 1978, six million Super Bowl posters bearing his signature were distributed as the official poster. More on Moss
1986: Bart Forbes — "Larry Bird"
Gracing the covers of Sports Illustrated, Time, Boys Life and Saturday Review, his work has garnered commercial attention. Because of his unique talent in portraying a wide variety of sports, Forbes has taken a special interest in the Olympic movement.
Forbes was selected by the Korean National Olympic Committee as the official artist for the 1988 Summer Olympic Games in Seoul and he produced official art for the U.S. Olympic Committee for both the Barcelona and Atlanta Games. Budweiser and Proctor & Gamble have commissioned Forbes' illustrations for Olympic Games advertising as well. More on Forbes
1988: Hans Erni — "Yachting"
Born in 1909 in Lucerne, Switzerland, Erni was originally trained as an architect. He studied at the Academie Julian in Paris and the State School of Art in Berlin. Gaining international attention when he created a 300-foot mural for the 1939 Swiss National Exhibition in Zurich, Erni combined abstract expressionism and realism and this was a turning point for the artist. His enthusiasm with the wonders of mankind has earned him the title "Renaissance Man." A variety of work was undertaken- paintings, frescos, mosaics, tapestries and graphics, which expressed his interior vocation and appeared to the painter as a message for his future works. Through posters and stamps, he has developed a wide following with the public. More on Erni
1989: Jim Ridlon — "Senior Bowl Memories"
The Senior Bowl has hosted some of the NFL's biggest names before they became stars as professionals. Played annually right across the bay in Mobile, the Senior Bowl is always an important event. Fittingly, Ridlon created this piece to commemorate those who have participated in the Senior Bowl.
For information on Ridlon, please refer to the biography with personal exhibition mentioned previously in the tour. More on Ridlon
1991: Bernie Fuchs — "Super Bowl MVP's"
Before his 30th birthday, Fuchs (Westport, Conn.) was named "Artist of the Year" by the Artist Guild in New York. In 1975 he became the youngest artist ever selected to join such luminaries as Norman Rockwell, Frederic Remington and Winslow Homer in the Society of Illustrators' prestigious Hall of Fame. More on Fuchs
1992: Cristóbal Gabarrón — Untitled
For information on Gabarrón, please refer to the biography with personal exhibition mentioned previously in the tour. More on Gabarrón
1993: Stephen Holland — "Holyfield"
For information on Holland, please refer to the biography with personal exhibition mentioned previously in the tour. More on Holland
1994: Robert Riger — "Victory in the Mud"
A celebrated sport artist, photographer, award winning television producer, director and cinematographer, Riger created his first sport art from an Army-Navy football game that required five lithograph pencils and 140 hours. Since that humble beginning, Sport Illustrated has published more than 1,200 of his editorial drawings and more than 200 of his promotional and advertising drawings. In 1963, he began three years of world travel and weekly appearances on ABC's Wide World of Sports, doing the incisive on-camera picture reporting that preceded the days of color and gave ABC Sports an added dimension to their coverage. His video work with the broadcasts of the 1976 and 1984 Summer Olympics and the 1980 Winter Olympics brought the phrase "the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat" to life. Riger died in an untimely manner from glandular cancer on May 19, 1995. More on Riger
