Florida Highwaymen Artists

The Florida Highwaymen

The Highwaymen were a group of African-American landscape painters who were influenced by renown Florida landscape artist A.E. Backus during the 1950s-60s (although only Alfred Hair was a formal student of Backus). His influence extended to the twenty-six artists who have been given the name "The Highwaymen." Some in the formal art world have given this group and its followers the name "Indian River School," but they are most well-known as The Highwaymen. Not known as "highwaymen" in their heyday, the name was bestowed by Florida art collector and museum curator Jim Fitch in a 1995 article.

The Highwaymen were mostly self-taught painters. Excluded from the traditional world of art shows and galleries, the Highwaymen painted on inexpensive Upson board and framed their paintings with crown molding (brushed with gold or silver paint to "antique" them). They packed these paintings into the trunks of their cars and sold them door-to-door throughout the southeastern coast of Florida. Sometimes the paintings were stacked before the oil was dry. One can make out the imprint of the base of the next frame on a few of the paintings.

Paintings by the Florida Highwaymen are prized by collectors today, but their story is about much more than art. The name refers to African American artists, mostly from the Fort Pierce area, who painted landscapes and made a living selling them, door to door, to businesses and individuals throughout the state from the mid-1950s through the 1980s. They also were peddled from the trunks of their cars along the eastern coastal roads.(A1A and I-95) Today their 100,000 plus paintings have gathered significant interest and have become quite collectible. At auctions these particular painters works have been recognized with high prices. Authentic original paintings by the more talented artists in the group will easily bring in several thousand dollars.

It was not a formal movement and represented no “official” group, yet the Highwaymen thrived as artists and entrepreneurs through their sheer determination to succeed as painters and not as laborers in citrus groves, their expected social role. The works are also referred to as "outsider Art". They honed techniques to rapidly produce their paintings and developed strategies to sell and market their artwork outside of the formal world of art galleries and exhibitions. Their story is one of African Americans who carved out unique economic opportunities despite the social conditions of the Jim Crow South.

In 2000, twenty six artists were identified as Highwaymen.2 These artists were inducted into the Florida Artists Hall of Fame in 2004 as the Highwaymen and include: Curtis Arnett, Hezekiah Baker, Al “Blood” Black, brothers Ellis and George Buckner, Robert Butler, Mary Ann Carroll (the only woman in the group), brothers Johnny and Willie Daniels, Rodney Demps, James Gibson, Alfred Hair, Issac Knight, Robert Lewis, John Maynor, Roy McLendon, Alfonso “Pancho” Moran, brothers Harold and Lemuel and Sam Newton, Willie Reagan, Livingston “Castro” Roberts, Cornell “Pete” Smith, Charles Walker, Sylvester Wells, and Charles “Chico” Wheeler.

Of these twenty six, nine are considered "original" (or the earliest) Highwaymen: Harold Newton, Alfred Hair, Roy McLendon, James Gibson, Livingston Roberts, Mary Ann Carroll, Sam Newton, Willie Daniels, and Al Black.3

	Highwaymen Frame and plus Florida swamp painting Price: $20.50 (2 Bids) Sale Ends: 11h 45m
	FLORIDA ART HIGHWAYMEN H. FOSTER 16x24 OIL PAINTING Buy It Now Price: $170.00 Sale Ends: 1d 42m
	FLORIDA HIGHWAYMEN R.A. McLENDON FIRESKY CIRCA 1967 Price: $950.00 (7 Bids) Sale Ends: 1d 45m
	FLORIDA HIGHWAYMEN R.A. McLENDON FIRESKY CIRCA 1965 Price: $499.00 (3 Bids) Sale Ends: 1d 48m
	Original Florida Painting , From Highwaymen RL Lewis Price: $94.00 (5 Bids) Sale Ends: 1d 1h 11m
	Original Florida Painting , From Highwaymen RL Lewis Price: $12.99 (7 Bids) Sale Ends: 1d 1h 12m
	Original Florida Art Painting Highwaymen RL Lewis Buy It Now Price: $289.00 Sale Ends: 1d 1h 15m
	FLORIDA TROPICAL PAINTING & HIGHWAYMEN CARD, BL BUTLER Price: $9.99 (1 Bids) Sale Ends: 1d 1h 28m
	FLORIDA ART HIGHWAYMEN H. FOSTER 16x24 OIL PAINTING Buy It Now Price: $170.00 Sale Ends: 1d 1h 54m
	HAROLD NEWTON Florida Highwaymen Price: $1,228.22 (4 Bids) Sale Ends: 1d 2h 6m
	Florida Art~Highwaymen Oil Painting~Harold Newton Price: $2,200.00 (10 Bids) Sale Ends: 1d 4h 3m
	Florida Art Highwaymen Painting-J.Daniels 12x24 Price: $385.00 (0 Bids) Buy It Now Price: $395.00 Sale Ends: 2d 36m
	Florida Art Highwaymen Painting -S.Newton 24x36 Price: $4,500.00 (0 Bids) Buy It Now Price: $5,500.00 Sale Ends: 2d 1h 47m
	Florida Highwaymen L Newton Ocean Scene Oil on Upson Buy It Now Price: $875.00 Sale Ends: 2d 23h 18m
	FLORIDA HIGHWAYMEN LISTED ORIGINAL SIGNED IMPRESSIONIST Price: $175.00 (0 Bids) Buy It Now Price: $215.00 Sale Ends: 3d 28m
	VINTAGE FLORIDA HIGHWAYMEN PAINTING A. HAIR ON UPSON Price: $999.99 (5 Bids) Sale Ends: 3d 2h 48m
	Florida Art Highwaymen Painting -S.Newton ( Pr -12X24) Buy It Now Price: $2,495.00 Sale Ends: 3d 3h 50m
	Florida Art Highwaymen Painting-L.Roberts 24x30 Upson Buy It Now Price: $3,495.00 Sale Ends: 3d 4h 1m
	Florida Art Highwaymen Painting-J.Maynor 11x14 Price: $250.00 (0 Bids) Buy It Now Price: $295.00 Sale Ends: 3d 4h 2m
	Florida Art Highwaymen Painting -R.A. Mclendon 20x24 Buy It Now Price: $1,995.00 Sale Ends: 3d 4h 3m