Fiery Poinciana trees, breathtaking sunsets and towering palm trees exemplify the wild beauty of Florida.

Portraying images of the state’s natural splendor with a particular focus on the Indian River Region of Fort Pierce, The Florida Highwaymen were a group of undeniably talented, self-taught artists. During the era of segregation of the 1950s and 1960s, this group of African American artisans found an innovative solution to combat exclusion from local art galleries and museums.

They took to the roads and earned their name from successful entrepreneurial efforts to sell more than 200,000 paintings from the trunks of their cars along the state’s highways.

History

Famed landscape artist A.E. “Bean” Backus mentored the original group of 26 artists, inviting them to use his studio as a meeting and working space. The prominent artist nurtured the Highwaymen, prompting their enterprise.

During the mid 1900s, the group was a nameless crew. Their nickname was given to them much later in 1994, after their works resurfaced in numerous garage sales, thrift stores and flea markets throughout Florida.

They continued to sell their majestic landscape oil paintings in this fashion well into the early ‘80s, also going door-to-door to residences and businesses.

Mary Ann Carroll, one of the original Highwaymen, reflected back on the period with a great deal of fondness:  “I didn’t stop to think that what we were doing would have such an impact,” the Georgia native revealed. “We all had the same common interest and same common goal of painting and making money.”

For Carroll, painting as a profession was the realization of a childhood dream.

 “I never felt there was anything that someone else could do that I couldn’t do,” she said. “It’s just the way I have always looked at life.”

Gary Monroe, acclaimed documentary photographer and editor, has featured the work of the Highwaymen in three books and has served as an advocate for this tremendous group of artists, prompting a resurgence of interest in their works during the last decade.

His initial research was prompted by a determination to understand, establish and celebrate their accomplishments.

“I was planning a book about Florida’s self-taught artists and quickly learned of the Highwaymen,” Monroe said. “This was about 12 years ago, and I sought them out, heard their story, decided to sort out the facts – without realizing how difficult this would be – and wrote the first and still defining book about them."

Perceptions

Seen as a novelty at the outset, the Florida Highwaymen have garnered high recognition decades later. During the mid 1900s the group was a nameless crew. Their nickname was given to them much later in 1994, after their works resurfaced in numerous garage sales, thrift stores and flea markets throughout Florida. In 2001, Monroe’s monumental book sparked a statewide interest in their works, creating celebrities out of each and setting the record straight about their history. 

Their achievements have been honored in various ways throughout the state, including the dedication of a 20-foot-tall obelisk and heritage trail in Fort Pierce, the annual Highwaymen Art Festival in Mount Dora and exhibitions at prestigious government buildings. In 2004, the Highwaymen were inducted into the Florida Artists Hall of Fame in a ceremonial display of the significance of the Floridian cultural experience.

“The group of African-American painters ... created a unique contribution of a distinct genre that has captured the imagination of several generations of Florida art collectors,” said Bruce Graetz, senior curator at the Museum of Florida History. 

“The Hall of Fame has provided public support for the continuation of the Highwaymen’s artistic tradition,” Graetz added. “A number of the original Highwaymen artists still paint today, and in a several cases they are passing the tradition along to a new generation of African American artists.” Their works retail at upwards of $2,000 and can be found through private collectors and Florida galleries.

In a strong display of local affection for the work of these artists, the Museum of Florida History Foundation, a nonprofit citizens’ group, has rallied to acquire Highwaymen paintings in their commitment to preserve art history. Their efforts have resulted in the acquisition and donation of paintings by 12 artists to local museums.

Media

Several books have been written about these Floridian artists including, Gary Monroe’s “The Highwaymen: Florida’s African-American Landscape Painters”; Harold Newton’s “The Original Highwayman”; and the final book in the trilogy, “The Highwaymen Murals: Al Black’s Concrete Dreams.”

"I think the paintings need to be considered as a vital part of our art history; how they emerged as well as function and fit into the broader picture of landscape painting,” Monroe says. “But perhaps it’s the egalitarian nature of these paintings that constitute their greatest worth, how they welcomed people to Florida and fostered the notion of our state as paradise. I hope that my books lay that foundation and that future generations remain aware and find the same promise in the art."

An hour-long documentary film called “The Highwaymen: Florida’s Outsider Artist” written and produced by Jack and John Hambrick of Everglades Productions includes interviews with a portion of the artists and more than 100 original Highwaymen paintings.

Local Exhibitions

A recent exhibition at the Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens in Jacksonville brought out eager audiences.

“The story of Al Black and the Florida Highwaymen is an important one, not only for the people of Florida but also for the artistic community at large”, explains  Holly Keris, curator of The Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens. She continues, “These self-taught artists overcame tremendous obstacles and, through art, found their voice. They found hope. And through art, Al Black especially shared that hope with others.”

The success of the revered artists doesn’t come without controversy.

"There are naysayers, of course,” continues Monroe. “I’ve come to realize that most of these people never witnessed a Florida sunset.”

Recent exhibitions at the Museum of Art/Fort Lauderdale and the Cummer Museum of Art prove these paintings are world class. Borne out of necessity, the inspiring works of the 25 Florida Highwaymen will forever remain a testament to the willpower of artists in the state.