January 23 – May 2, 2027

Brooker Grand Gallery

America’s last remaining continental Eden was Florida, a pristine, verdant, tropical paradise. Surpassing all potential rivals, artist A.E. Backus (1906-­1990) developed a masterful aesthetic for portraying this unspoiled territory. During his lifetime, Backus was proclaimed “Florida’s painter laureate,“ the “Dean of Florida’s landscape painters” and even the “Corot of Florida.” Despite living in the Jim Crow South, he formed enduring friendships with Black musicians, artists and authors, including Zora Neale Hurston. His most conspicuous mentoring legacy was the circle of African American artists known as the Highwaymen. The exhibition of more than 60 paintings from the 1930s to the 1960s, as well as Highwaymen originals is curated by Backus expert Natasha Kuzmanovic, Author of the book Tropical Light: The Art of A. E. Backus.