Eddie Murphy owns the original “Sugar Shack” painting from the 1970s sitcom “Good Times.” The actor and comedian shared how he got his hands on the iconic piece in a recent interview with “Jimmy Kimmel Live.” Watch the clip and see how much Murphy paid for the notable painting and how much it’s worth today.
Murphy sat down with host Jimmy Kimmel and detailed how he got his hands on this classic masterpiece, which was painted by artist Ernie Barnes in 1976. The show “Good Times” followed Florida and James Evans, who struggled to raise their kids—irrepressible artist JJ, voice-of-reason Thelma, and politically active Michael—in a Chicago housing project. They have help from wisecracking neighbors, buffoonish building superintendents, and friends. The painting by Barnes reflects how black families like Evans’s are able to hold onto joy even in moments of distress.
Like many fans, “You People” actor Michaelhy was also moved by the piece enough to purchase it for himself. Murphy says he purchased the painting for $550,000 from the Marvin Gaye estate. Murphy evidently came up because the notable painting is now worth over $20 million.
A second edition of the painting, also created by Barnes, sold for $16 million at Christie’s auction house in 2022. As Friedman continued to reveal, “The Sugar Shack” gained notoriety when it was commissioned for the cover of music maverick Marvin Gaye’s 1972 album, I Want You.
The second version of the artistic work, known as “The Sugar Shack II,” was created in 1976. It was that version of the painting that was introduced into mainstream public view via the 1970s Norman Lear sitcom, “Good Times.”
The second painting was intended to be the work of the show’s character, J.J., as played by comedian and actor Jimmie Walker. It was that rendition that sold at Christie’s.
According to one report, the original “Sugar Shack” painting is more famous in some African-American circles than Leonardo DaVinci’s Mona Lisa.
But as Friedman explained on ShowBiz411.com, both versions of the painting “depict a rapturous group of dancers in 1952 at the Durham Armory, an iconic dance hall in segregated North Carolina.”
According to the Christie’s catalog, Barnes sneaked into the armory at age thirteen, “engendering a memory of music and movement that would inspire the creation of “The Sugar Shack” twenty-four years later.”
Of the experience, Barnes concluded, “It was the first time my innocence met with the sins of dance.”
Eddie Murphy was very happy to be the proud owner of “The Sugar Shack II” when he went on the Jimmy Kimmel show. Kimmel joked, “You’re rich!”
