A. Hair, 'Untitled,' Oil on Panel.

Starting in the 1950s, a period when America was still in the throes of segregation, the Highwaymen defied all odds. A prodigious group of twenty-six African-American painters who plied their trade painting Florida’s landscapes, the Highwaymen discovered success in simplicity, finding a niche to call their own, producing more than 200,000 works, and achieving incredible widespread popularity in the process. This large-scale academic exhibition drawn entirely from the Woodsby family's private collection revisits the Highwaymen, examining their legacy and key place in art history, studying the complete story of their rise and seeking answers for their unexpected mass appeal. Finally, Florida art that was once deemed lowbrow and rejected from museums and galleries but celebrated widely by eager consumers receives its moment in the sun, right here in Lakeland.