Who Were the Highwaymen?
The Highwaymen emerged in the 1950s and 60s during a time when African-American artists were excluded from traditional galleries and art institutions. Inspired and encouraged by white landscape artist A. E.“ Bean” Backus, the group— originally just a handful of self-taught Black painters— developed a unique, expressive style of capturing Florida’ s untouched beauty: its wetlands, beaches, palm trees and glowing skies. Their work was often created quickly on inexpensive materials like Upson board and sold directly to businesses and homes across the state.
Source: Florida Department of State, Division of Historical Resources; The Highwaymen: Florida’ s African-American Landscape Painters by Gary Monroe
Arnett’ s path to artistry began early.“ I guess I’ ve always loved drawing,” he said.“ My aunt visited one day and saw me sketching. She asked what I wanted to be. I said I didn’ t know. And she said,‘ Yes you do. You’ re going to be an artist.’” It was the first time he’ d heard the word.
That Christmas, his mother gave him a watercolor set. Lacking canvas, young Curtis painted comic book characters on cardboard boxes. Later, he discovered leftover house paint at construction sites.“ That’ s what I thought oil painting was— house paint,” he said with a laugh.
But his artistic world changed the day he disobeyed his mother’ s fishing route instructions and wandered down Avenue C— now Bacchus Avenue. There, he stumbled upon the open studio of A. E. Backus. Jazz poured from the speakers, and vivid, lifelike paintings lined the walls.“ My jaw dropped,” Curtis said.“ They looked so real. The only thing missing was sound. I could feel the wind, hear the birds.”
Backus initially refused to teach Arnett, having stopped taking students. But he offered the boy a wooden box of real oil paints, brushes and a promise: bring your paintings back and I’ ll critique them. Arnett was just 12 years old.
That formative mentorship lasted until Backus’ death when Curtis was 35. But along the way, Arnett found his creative family— other Black painters like Hezekiah Baker, Mary Ann Carroll, Roy McLendon and Robert Butler.“ I was hungry for knowledge,” Arnett said.“ If Hezekiah
wasn’ t home, I went to Roy’ s. If Roy wasn’ t home, I went to someone else’ s. That’ s how I got to know the others.”
The group didn’ t formally unite until years later, when museum curator Jim Fitch coined the term“ Highwaymen” to describe their method of selling paintings along the roadside. Arnett admits he didn’ t like the name at first.“ The word highwayman— it used to mean thief or robber. And I thought,‘ we’ re not thieves!’” But over time, the label came to represent pride, legacy and ingenuity.
A Deep Connection to the Land
Arnett’ s landscapes aren’ t just pictures; they are sensory experiences.“ I feel art,” he explained.“ If I’ m painting a woods scene, I can feel the coolness, smell the damp earth. That’ s what I try to put into the canvas.”
He credits artist Robert Butler for deepening his connection to nature.“ Robert had a Jeep and knew all the ranches. We’ d ride out and paint on location.” Arnett even bought a boat to explore Florida’ s rivers and hammocks— his favorite subjects.
His artistic growth came not just from observation but from what he calls instinct.“ One day I kept feeling like I had to go to the art store. I’ d already been that week, but something pushed me. When I got there, I found this one book— it taught me how to paint mud, sand, water. Everything I’ d been trying to feel. That was what I went there for. And I’ ve always trusted that feeling since.”
A Legacy Still Unfolding
Despite their growing acclaim, Arnett reflects with a mix of pride and sadness.“ I just wish some of the others— like Alfred Hair— could have lived to see it.” Hair, often credited as the movement’ s energetic leader, was tragically killed in 1970 at age 29.
Today, Arnett’ s paintings are found in galleries, private collections and museums, but he’ s never lost his original purpose.“ People ask me if I knew this would happen. No way. I didn’ t do it for the money. You want money? You gotta put the art first. If the painting’ s not right, I’ m not signing my name.”
Even now, Arnett will show up to a gallery with just two paintings.“ But they’ re the two that I did my best on,” he said with quiet conviction.
Alesia Wilbekin is the Executive Director of the Foundation for the Museum of Black History
SEPTEMBER 2025 | 15 |