Harold Newton

Who was Harold Newton?

Harold Newton was a central and founding member of the loose-knit group of African American artists known as the Florida Highwaymen. Although Newton and the other Highwaymen were not part of an organized school, all were influenced by the work of Florida landscape artist A.E. Backus and shared a commitment to capturing Florida’s scenic beauty in a quick, formulaic style. Despite his lack of formal training, Newton had an exceptional ability to capture the subtlety and variety of Florida’s coastlines and wetlands, an ability that distances him from other, central figures in the group such as Alfred Hair. Indeed, Newton is generally regarded as the most talented of the Highwaymen and in recent years his work has been coveted by serious art collectors and Highwaymen enthusiasts both regionally and nationally. His oil paintings, once sold door-to-door for very modest sums, now can fetch in the tens of thousands, depending on the scene, composition, and quality.

Gary Monroe, author of the book Harold Newton, The Original Highwayman, captures Newton’s place in the Highwaymen movement and Florida history in the following remark: