Ernest White

Ernest White made contemporary drawings of Afro-American men and women riding the New York City subway. The drawings show a draftsmanship and empathy for the people he portrayed. Nineteen of these charcoal sketches are displayed on this site. Research about Ernest White, an artist whom I surmise did these drawings in the 1970s or 80s, came to nothing. The sketches were done on fragile newsprint but each was carefully attached to a heavy paper board and covered with a plastic sheet for preservation. I found them amid the work of my uncle, Joseph O’Brien, who living in New York City, may have met the artist.

The charcoal drawings are available separately but sold as a whole, the collection will be discounted. Each drawing is powerful not only for its artistic skill, but together the drawings augment each other and express a time and a place. For all inquiries please contact Len Gerwick at Gerwick Paintings