About the Exhibit
The Newton Legacy explores the remarkable story and artistic achievements of brothers Harold, Sam, and Lem Newton, whose paintings captured the spirit of postwar America and helped shape the story of the African American artists later known as the Highwaymen.
Drawn from the collection of Lance Walker, this one-of-a-kind exhibition brings the brothers’ work together to celebrate their distinctive talent, entrepreneurial spirit, and enduring cultural legacy. Informed by the research and writing of Highwaymen scholar Gary Monroe, the exhibition traces a story that begins in Tifton, Georgia, and extends to Florida’s southeast coast and into American art history.
Presented by Tifton Council for the Arts in February 2027, The Newton Legacy will be the first exhibition dedicated exclusively to the three Newton brothers, bringing their extraordinary story home to the community where it began.
Programs & Events
Opening Reception:
January 24th | 2 pm – 4 pm
Lecture & Panel Discussion:
January 28th | 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Harold, Sam, and Lem Newton began their story in Tifton, Georgia, before establishing themselves as artists along Florida’s southeast coast. There, their vivid landscapes and independent approach to selling art helped open opportunities for a new generation of Black painters working outside the traditional gallery system.
The Newton brothers became closely connected to the artistic movement later known as the Florida Highwaymen. The artists associated with this movement are estimated to have produced as many as 200,000 oil paintings, bringing vibrant scenes of Florida’s subtropical landscape into homes and businesses throughout the state and beyond.
At a time when racial and economic barriers severely limited opportunities for African American artists, the Newtons built careers through talent, determination, and entrepreneurship. Their influence helped shape an important chapter in American art history, making their story not only part of Florida’s cultural legacy, but an extraordinary piece of Tifton’s own history.
Behind the Exhibition
Gary Monroe
Gary Monroe, a Miami Beach native, earned an MFA from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 1977. After returning to South Florida, he spent a decade documenting the Jewish community of South Beach and later photographed extensively throughout Haiti and Florida, as well as internationally.
During his midcareer, Mr. Monroe expanded his work to include writing and curating Florida’s self-taught and vernacular art, helping bring wider public recognition to the field. He has also given approximately 300 lectures on Harold Newton and the Highwaymen.
Mr. Monroe is the author of nine books on Florida art, along with numerous articles and exhibition catalogs. His work has received grants from several major organizations, including the National Endowment for the Arts and the Fulbright Foundation. His life’s work is housed at Emory University’s Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library.
Lance Walker
Lance Walker spent much of his youth exploring Florida’s untamed wilderness. His deep affinity and respect for the land, coupled with his recognition of the state’s meteoric growth, inspired him to begin collecting Florida landscape paintings. Within a decade, Mr. Walker amassed the most comprehensive collection of Highwaymen paintings, whose midcentury subtropical landscapes captured the imagination of—and resonated deeply with—postwar Floridians.
Mr. Walker later expanded his collection to include works by “outsider” artists,” self-taught artists whose distinctive perspectives and idiosyncrasies shape their imagery. His appreciation for the ways this renegade art challenges and expands traditional notions of aesthetics led him to invite museum curators to organize exhibitions drawn from his collection.
Mr. Walker is president of The Walker Company in Winter Park, Florida. Among the cultural and philanthropic organizations on whose boards he serves is the Orlando Museum of Art and the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He is the executive producer of the documentary, “American Originals: The Highwaymen.” Additionally, Mr. Walker is a longtime supporter of education, affordable housing, and the arts.
