The Highwaymen: Beautifying Florida

The Highwaymen is the name given to a group of twenty six African American artists. They sold their work by the side of the highway out of the trunk of their cars, hence the name: the Highway men. They began painting and selling their works by the side of the highway in Florida in the 1950’s. Together they have sold over 200,000 paintings, which is impressive for any group of artists, especially ones with no gallery or publicist to represent them.

In the 1950’s and 1960’s it was difficult for African American artists to obtain gallery representation, so the group took matters into their own and sold their work to the public themselves. By selling their own work, they also inadvertently found a way around the gallery or an art agent taking 50% of the sale price, which was an added benefit.

Many of the Highwaymen are not formally trained in art. Many found their inspiration in landscape architect A.E. Backus. Only one Highwayman, Alfred Hair, actually studied with Backus.

The Highwaymen are often confused with the Indian River School of painting but this group has their own separate identity. Although they introduced the world to the Indian River school of painting and the Backus School, they were named ‘The Highwaymen’ in 1995 by museum curator, wood sculptor, artist representative, and founder of the Florida Museum of Art and Culture, Jim Fitch.

They were inducted to the Florida Artists Hall of Fame in 2004. Today they are considered to be a part of American Folk Culture.

The Highwaymen painted in their own style and used inexpensive Upson board or Masonite instead of canvas. They framed their work themselves and used gold and silver paint to make the frame look like it was antique. They used their unique perspective to render the beautiful landscapes and waterscapes of Florida.
Here is a complete list of the Highwaymen:

• Curtis Arnett
• Hezekiah Baker†
• Al Black
• Ellis Buckner †
• George Buckner †
• Robert Butler
• Mary Ann Carroll
• Johnny Daniels †
• Willie Daniels
• Rodney Demps
• James Gibson
• Alfred Hair †
• Issac Knight
• Robert L. Lewis
• John Maynor
• Roy McLendon
• Alfonso Moran †
• Harold Newton †
• Lemuel Newton
• Sam Newton
• Livingston Roberts †
• Willie Reagan
• Cornell Smith
• Charles Walker
• Sylvester M. Wells
• Charles Wheeler

For more information on the Highwaymen go to:
http://www.highwaymenartist.com/about.html



By Melissa Montgomery