Seeing Old Florida in a New Light

Florida landscape painting and the legacy of the Highwaymen are the focus of a lecture tracing more than a century of artistic activity along the Indian River. Seeing Old Florida in a New Light takes place Thursday, May 21 at the Coral Gables Museum. The evening includes a reception with wine and light bites, followed by a lecture and Q&A.

The talk explores the work and influence of A.E. “Beanie” Backus, a leading 20th-century painter of the Florida landscape whose studio and mentorship helped shape the artists now known as the Florida Highwaymen. This group of 26 self-taught African American painters became known for vivid, quickly produced landscapes that captured Florida’s palms, wetlands, skies and waterways, often selling their works directly from their cars.

The lecture is led by J. Marshall Adams, Executive Director of the A.E. Backus Museum & Gallery in Fort Pierce. Adams brings three decades of museum experience to the program, including previous roles at the Vero Beach Museum of Art, Museum of Contemporary Art Jacksonville and High Museum of Art in Atlanta.