Search

A concrete cantilevered building against blue sky and green landscaping

A large green wall with oil paintings in gold frames above a tiled floor

A museum interior space with paintings and concrete walls and stairs

A concrete-walled lobby with windows, a tiled floor, and a circular desk

The top of a concrete spiral staircase with a wooden railing

A tall tree is the focal point of a garden in between two concrete buildings

About arrow_back

Admission for everyone is always free! Check here for current hours and more.

A concrete cantilevered building against blue sky and green landscaping

Collections arrow_back

The Johnson Museum holds more than 40,000 works in its collection from around the world.

A large green wall with oil paintings in gold frames above a tiled floor

Exhibitions arrow_back

Check out what’s on view this season at the Museum and look back through our history.

A museum interior space with paintings and concrete walls and stairs

Events arrow_back

Free events for everyone, plus special programs for students, families, and more!

A concrete-walled lobby with windows, a tiled floor, and a circular desk

Learn arrow_back

The Johnson Museum actively contributes to the intellectual life of our campus and community.

The top of a concrete spiral staircase with a wooden railing

Support arrow_back

Help the Johnson Museum continue its legacy by making a gift today.

A tall tree is the focal point of a garden in between two concrete buildings

John Ahearn, Rigoberto Torres

(American, born 1960)

Ernestine

View All Works

Object Details

Artist

John Ahearn, Rigoberto Torres

Date

1992

Medium

Acrylic on plaster

Dimensions

23 1/2 x 18 1/2 x 7 inches (59.7 x 47 x 17.8 cm)

Credit Line

Acquired through the David M. Solinger, Class of 1926, Endowment

Object
Number

96.011

John Ahearn is one of a large number of important artists who attended Cornell University, including(…)

John Ahearn is one of a large number of important artists who attended Cornell University, including Arthur G. Dove, Margaret Bourke-White, Richard Artschwager, and Susan Rothenberg. He was trained as a painter at Cornell, but found himself as a sculptor when he moved to the South Bronx in his twenties. Here, in collaboration with Rigoberto Torres, he opened a storefront studio and began making life-size casts of the people who lived in the area. He met Ernestine, the subject of this work, at a women’s shelter and was particularly impressed with her energy and optimism. The simplicity of the pose, the rough modeling of details, and the thin, quick application of the paint all help express the unpretentious directness and spontaneity of the sitter herself. Small details — the red and blue bracelets, the Nefertiti earrings, the lifted left index finger — add to the energy of the figure, and to the humanity of her remarkably expressive face. (From “A Handbook of the Collection: Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art,” 1998)

Discover More

Bust of a boy

Roman, Antonine period

Shiva

Bali

Create an account

Please take a moment to fill your information to create your account.

Reset Password

Lost your password? Please enter your email address. You will receive mail with link to set new password.

Save Artwork

Save the artwork in any of your exhibitions or create a new one.

You have not made any exhibitions.

Create New Exhibition

Create New Exhibition