Museum Of Art Highlights African American Artists in Living Color

TAMPA, FL — The Tampa Museum of Art 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."

Running through March 28, Living Color brings together 60 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 Highwaymen produced artwork 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, 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.

Furthering the momentum of the museum's centennial year, Tampa Bay residents can look forward to studio art classes and educational programs offering in-depth insights into the Highwaymen artwork.

Groups of four or more can schedule a private virtual tour, and groups of 10 or more can schedule an in-person tour of Living Color and any exhibition at the museum by click here.

The exhibition is organized by the Orlando Museum of Art and curated by Gary Monroe in collaboration with Hansen Mulford, senior curator at OMA. A fully illustrated catalog published by

OMA in conjunction with Living Color is available at the Tampa Museum of Art Museum Store.

The Tampa Museum of Art presents this significant exhibition to the Tampa Bay area thanks to the sponsorship support by the Gobioff Foundation, the Sauders Foundation, Brown & Brown Insurance and others.

Founded in 1920, the Tampa Museum of Art provides 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. The museum’s permanent collection also includes sculpture, photography, painting, new media and more.

New online programs add to the year-round studio art classes, lectures and tours that provide
children, teens, and adults with opportunities to discover new perspectives and learn different art making techniques. Likewise, through unique community partnerships, the museum offers outreach programs that provide art therapy intervention and meaningful modes of self-expression to vulnerable segments of the population.

Located at 120 W. Gasparilla Plaza, next to the Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park and
Tampa’s Riverwalk, the Tampa Museum of Art is open seven days a week, Monday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.