Alfred Hair and the Florida Highwaymen
Landscape Artists
Inducted in 2004
The Florida Highwaymen, a small group of African American painters from Ft. Pierce, began painting Florida landscapes in the late fifties. Under the tutelage of local landscape artist, A. E. "Beanie" Backus (also a Hall of Fame member), these young artists developed their own individual techniques, creating unique depictions of Florida's sunsets, waterscapes, marshes and inlets with raw beauty and charm.
Through the leadership and creativity of Alfred Hair, the original Highwaymen, the artists shunned traditional methods, and painted quick, brisk images of Florida's tropical beauty in bright colors, often painting on wood or masonite. They sold their creations from the trunks of their cars along Florida's east coast for as little as twenty dollars each, showering the state with approximately 200,000 paintings.
In the 70's and 80's, the Highwaymen fell on hard times as consumer tastes changed. But in the 90's, an interest in "outsider art" (art created by artists who aren't traditionally trained or who are outside mainstream society) developed in the art world and a Florida collector coined this group of artists as the "Highwaymen." Today, their paintings are widely sought after. Several original Highwaymen still paint today including artist James Gibson whose paintings currently hang in Governor Jeb Bush’s executive office.
The 26 Highwaymen:
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