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Hair’s widow, Doretha Hair Truesdell, will speak at the A.E. Backus Museum
and Gallery on Feb. 14, at 6 p.m. She says her late husband was the most
loving and kind person anyone would ever have the pleasure of meeting.
reached the hospital and waded through the crowd to the entrance
to the emergency room I was told he didn’t make it…
Life as I knew it was gone. That man who would give you his
last was gone. The art life was over.”
Thousands attended his funeral. Loudspeakers were put
outside so the people who could not fit in could listen to the
service. He was laid to rest under a simple marker at Pine
Grove Cemetery.
Immediately following his death, Hair’s teacher and
mentor, the pre-eminent Florida landscape artist A.E. (Bean)
Backus was so concerned about the welfare of the family left
behind that he held a sale at his studio of Hair’s paintings
— finished and unfinished — to raise money for Doretha,
a school teacher, and their four children, Alfred Jr., Sherry,
Roderick and Lisa.
But it was not only family Hair left behind. He was the
pivotal figure in a car-centric enterprise he had created and orchestrated
to practically flood Florida with original oil paintings
of the Florida landscape by selling them door to door.
“Driving Force: Alfred Hair and the Florida Highwaymen,”
an exhibition at the Backus Museum and Gallery, will explore
Hair’s legacy as the driving force behind the artists. The exhibition
opens Jan. 8 and runs through Feb. 16.
“He had the game plan, the vision and the business sense
to monetize his creative talents,” notes Marshall Adams,
executive director of the Backus Museum and Gallery. “Un- >>
A.E. BAckus MusEuM
DRIVING FORCE:
ALFRED HAIR AND THE FLORIDA HIGHWAYMEN
January 8 - February 16, 2020
Alfred Hair (1941-1970). River House Poinciana, undated.
Highwaymen Celebration Weekend
Friday, February 14 - Sunday, February 16
“All You Should Eat” Backus Brunch
Sunday, March 1 - 9:30am - 12 noon
$20 in advance / $25 at the door / $10 children under 12
Win an Original A.E. Backus Painting Valued at over $25,000
“Break in the Clouds,” c.1950, oil on canvas, 24”x30”
Tickets $25 each - three for $60 - six for $100
Winner announced at the Backus Brunch
Call 772-465-0630 or visit BackusMuseum.org to purchase Brunch and Raffle tickets.
Rules for drawing are on display at the Museum. All dates subject to change.
Please visit the Museum’s website for updates on schedule and events.
500 N. Indian River Drive | Historic Downtown Fort Pierce
772.465.0630 | www.BackusMuseum.org
/www.backusmuseum.org
/BackusMuseum.org
/www.BackusMuseum.org