GALLERY TWENTY SIX

 

ROBERT
LEWIS

 

Today a retired teacher, Lewis has a loose affiliation with the other Highwaymen. He owns a gallery in Cocoa Beach, Florida, where he lives, which is operated by his son, Robert
L. Lewis III. It features Lewis’s paintings along with those by other Highwaymen. The Highwaymen painted their way from the Florida Citrus fields in 1950s through 1960s and 1970s, painting Florida landscapes in a flamboyant style. As the doors of any art gallery or show was closed for them at that time, they just were selling their works from the back of their cars, travelling along the Florida’s East Cost.

 

The style of Robert L. Lewis paintings as all other Highwaymen was inspired by the works of well-known Florida artist Albert “Beanie” Backus. The work of Highwaymen were not recognized at that time, but only in 1990s when a Florida art collector and museum curator re-discovered them and wrote an article about them. The interest and popularity of the Highwaymen artists keeps steadily growing since and works that were selling for less than $50 from the trucks are easily commanding hundreds and thousands of dollars and found their ways to art galleries and shows.

 

Trees are a prominent feature of many Robert L. Lewis paintings and his work shows a fantasy bent. On the older Robert L. Lewis paintings, the palms often curve and lean; on his newer works, painted on canvas, Lewis’ trees are more refined.

GALLERY TWENTY SIX

954-383-6614

© 2018 Copyright GALLERY TWENTY SIX