Albert Ernest Backus Oil Painting on Canvas "Morning Breeze - Indian River"

Item Details

Albert Ernest Backus (American; 1906-1990)
Morning Breeze – Indian River
Oil Painting on Canvas
Signed to Lower Right
30.25’ W x 25’ H

An oil painting on canvas of a coastal genre scene titled Morning Breeze – Indian River by well-listed American folk artist Albert Ernest Backus (1906-1990). This work features some boats docked on a tropical sea coast, with a small shelter to the right and palm trees blowing in the wind. The composition is rendered with loose brushstrokes and textural impasto. It is signed ‘A.E. Backus’ to the lower right and housed in a beige painted wood frame with a carved design on the outer edge.

Regarded as the ‘Dean of Florida Painters’, Albert Backus attended summer classes at Parson’s School of Design, although he was mostly self-taught as an artist. He is best known among collectors as the most influential artist of The Highwaymen, a mid-century group of African-American folk artists who prolifically created paintings of their Floridian surroundings and sold the works out of their cars. Backus’ work can be found in the the Georgia State Supreme Court, the LBJ Texas library, and the A.E. ‘Bean’ Backus Gallery and Museum in Fort Pierce, Florida, among other collections.

Condition

- some stains and surface dirt scattered throughout composition, especially visible to the upper left and upper right; smaller stains scattered throughout surface; color fading throughout composition; painting has not been restored; wear to frame includes stains, small chips, scratches, and finish loss scattered throughout.

Dimensions

- measurement of frame; canvas size measures approximately 30.25" W x 25" H.

Item #

18DCC006-640