Original art by Florida's Highwaymen to be sold by Baterbys, Feb. 19 & 26 Several original works of art by Florida’s legendary Highwaymen will be sold at the Baterbys Art Auction Gallery 2011 Winter Auction, slated for Feb. 19 and 26 in Delray Beach and Orlando, Florida.
encouraged Newton to paint landscapes, and the young protégé eagerly obliged. Soon Alfred Hair joined them, as did a widening circle of artistic associates.
Taking their stylistic cues from Backus, the young, raw painters often worked with a heavy palette knife to create the swaying palms, shifting skies and crashing waves of the Atlantic Ocean. Scenes of marshes, birds, boats, moss-laden trees and the St. John’s River were also rendered. Soon, the work of the Highwaymen began to appear on walls of homes and businesses.
Over the years, all of the Highwaymen developed and refined their own personal styles, ranging from realism impressionism. But the Florida folk art they created in the ‘50s and later is now generating huge attention, especially among collectors. Collecting art by the Highwaymen has become an expensive (but increasingly expensive) hobby, as values trend sharply upward.
Like with many forms of collecting, the thrill is in the hunt, and with something so steeped in lore and anecdotal history as this genre, it is both frustrating and exhilarating for collectors pursuing even the tiniest of leads. People in central Florida dream of finding an original work at a garage sale or thrift shop. But those finds have become few and far between.
Today, collectors are fortunate that firms such as Baterbys Art Auction Gallery have become magnets for consignors in possession of such treasures. This is especially true with the first-ever Discovery Consignment Auction, an opportunity for art owners in need of quick cash to consign their works to an award-winning gallery and auction house with a fine reputation.
There will be no buyer’s premium in the auction. A portion of the proceeds will go to benefit UCP of Central Florida, an organization that serves children with disabilities and developmental delays in the Orlando area. To learn more, please click on www.ucpfl.org.
The auctions will begin promptly at 5 p.m. (EST) at both venues, with previews from 4-5 p.m. Online bidding will be facilitated by LiveAuctioneers.com. Phone and absentee bids will also be accepted. For more information about Baterbys Art Auction Gallery and the 2011 Winter Auction, please log on to www.Baterbys.com. Their toll-free phone number is (866) 537-0265.
