Florida Highwaymen Paintings

By Chadd ScottDecember 17, 2020November 25, 20210 Comments

Willie Daniels Untitled [ Sabal palm shoreline ] n.d. Oil on Upson board 24 x 36 in. Courtesy of the Lightle Collection © Willie B. Daniels Photography by Tariq Gibran

The Tampa Museum of Art (TMA) continues to celebrate and honor the richness and complexity of Florida’s cultural tapestry with its newest exhibition, “Living Color: The Art of the Highwaymen” on view through March 28, 2021. “Living Color brings together 60 Florida Highwaymen paintings from five outstanding private collections, featuring the works of the core group of Florida Highwaymen.

These celebrated African-American artists depicted the state’s natural environment and rich tones through their unique self-taught painting styles.

The Florida Highwaymen

The Florida Highwaymen paintings were produced from the 1950s to the 1980s. Artists including Al Black, Mary Ann Carroll, Willie Daniels, Johnny Daniels, James Gibson, Alfred Hair, Roy McLendon, Harold Newton, Sam Newton, Willie Reagan, and Livingston Roberts, painted as a means to making a living, and many were quite successful, especially Alfred Hair and Harold Newton.

Facing limitations imposed by the racial prejudice of their time, Florida Highwaymen artists had little or no formal training or access to conventional art markets. To overcome these obstacles, they produced large numbers of works that could be sold at affordable prices, often door-to-door and sometimes from their cars’ trunks along such thoroughfares as Route 1.

“We’re pleased to be able to bring Living Color to Tampa because this exhibition speaks to the resourcefulness and resilience of this group of artists. The Highwaymen, based in and around Ft. Pierce, developed their own creative community during a time in Florida’s history that coincided with an economic boom in the state and African Americans fighting for equal rights,” said Joanna Robotham, Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at the Tampa Museum of Art.

Mary Ann Carroll, 'Untitled [Back country twilight],' n.d. Oil on Masonite board. 17 ¾ x 23 ½ in. Courtesy of the Jacobs Collection ©
Wanda Renee Mills. Photography by Tariq Gibran. — Mary Ann Carroll, ‘Untitled [Back country twilight],’ n.d. Oil on Masonite board. 17 ¾ x 23 ½ in. Courtesy of the Jacobs Collection ©
Wanda Renee Mills. Photography by Tariq Gibran.

The Florida Highwaymen paintings exhibition is organized by the Orlando Museum of Art (OMA) and curated by Gary Monroe in collaboration with Hansen Mulford, Senior Curator at OMA. A fully illustrated catalogue published by OMA in conjunction with “Living Color” is available at the TMA Museum Store.

As the Tampa Museum of Art sets its sights on the future, continuing to partner with businesses and individuals will help the Museum grow a legacy of art and culture in Tampa that inspires and represents all community members.

About the Tampa Museum of Art

Founded in 1920, the Tampa Museum of Art inspires the residents of the Tampa Bay region and others around the world by providing engaging exhibitions and innovative educational programs that emphasize ancient, modern and contemporary art. The Museum houses one of the largest Greek and Roman antiquities collections in the southeastern United States. As one of the region’s largest museums devoted to the art of our time, the Museum’s permanent collection also embraces sculpture, photography, painting, new media and more.