Note Type
Antony Hayton, Exhibit DirectorNote
Alfred Hair (1941-1970)
Spoil Island Pine Stand
Oil on Upson Board circa the early 1960s
Image size 18" X 24"
The NY Times did an article in 2001 about the Highwaymen, but at the time, no one knew much about them; ironically, almost 25 years later, the same could be said. Alfred Hair's energy launched the group; he had a vision of making art and his fortune. Books have been written, and soon, movies and documentaries will tell us more about Alfred Hair and his Highwaymen. In 2001, the Times said, "Hair set the tone for the group through the 1960's. He would tack up 20 boards at a time outdoors, then quickly lay down the color without sketches as fast as he could, going from board to board, painting parts of the sky, a tree, or some other element. The essence of his paintings was spontaneity, bold colors, palm trees, surf, sand, and incredible skies." Al Black, his salesman superior, sold everything Hair and the group would give him. Their motto was simple: "A painting wasn't finished till it was sold."
There were no other laws or credos; they lived creating what they knew would work and would sell; it was a shared aesthetic, laid down originally by Backus, then morphed by Harold Newton and further adapted by Alfred Hair. It was as if he were a band leader; they were making Jazz, they harmoniously were in sync with each other, but they were playing their own tune; somehow, it all meshed into beautiful creativity; each painting was never the same; it was inventive and creative. Alfred's speed painting gave all his works a restless energy; it was pleasing, but it left you wanting more, like driving by a captivating view as you speed by on the highway. You catch it in a glance, and then it's gone. Alfred would take us to all these magic hidden places of his creation, like looking through a window onto his Florida Paradise; it was almost more beautiful than the real thing. That sentiment would be true fifty years later, for much of it is now gone.