“A.E. Backus possessed a great natural
talent and did not rely on formal training
to achieve his mastery of technique.”
– Author and biographer Olive Dame Peterson

“Beach House at Sanibel,” 1935, illustrates the artist’s palette-knife technique of applying thick layers of paint on the canvas. Courtesy of the Sally and Jack Chapman Collection.

In 1955, Backus painted the home of Dorothy Binney Palmer, a lifelong patron, friend and respected critic of his work. Titled “Stairs at Immokolee,” the painting references a Seminole word that means “my home place.”

Backus, who made the transition from palette knife to brush in the mid-1960s, painted “Lost River” in 1989 at the age of 83. Courtesy of the Suzanne and Mac Varn Collection.

Back in the late 1970s, I briefly met A.E. Backus, one of Florida’s most prominent artists. It was a polite introduction — a fleeting encounter that, in hindsight, was truly an honor.
A prolific artist until his death in June 1990, Backus painted colorful, light-filled landscapes of Florida’s backwoods, winding rivers and coastal sites. Monet was his favorite artist, whose impressionistic style greatly influenced Backus’ early paintings. Later, he drew inspiration from Winslow Homer’s style and subject matter.
From the time he began painting in earnest in the mid-1940s to his last unfinished work in 1990, Backus devoted his life to his art. In doing so, he left behind a legacy that’s known among art circles as the “Backus School.”
Today, his paintings fill the A.E. “Bean” Backus Gallery & Museum, which he founded in 1961 as the Gallery of Fort Pierce. Located just two blocks from his longtime home and studio, the museum routinely rotates exhibits of his paintings.
“About 100 of his paintings are on display at all times,” says Kathleen Fredrick, the gallery and museum’s executive director. “Fifty comprise our permanent collection, and the rest are either for sale or on loan from private collectors. Thousands of private collectors own his paintings, but many are unaware of our gallery or the value of his work.”
The son of citrus farmers, Albert Ernest Backus was born on Jan. 3, 1906, in Fort Pierce. Called “Bean” or “Beanie” — short for his childhood nickname, “Beanpot” — he grew up along the Indian River. When he was 4 years old, his parents divorced. His mother kept the family’s pineapple and orange groves, which opened his eyes to the beauty of his natural surroundings. At his father’s boat-building business, painters introduced him to oils. Together, these two influences led to a lifetime of landscape painting.
The only formal art training Backus received was at the Parsons School of Design in New York, which he attended for two summer sessions. To earn money at home, he started designing and painting signs for businesses in town, as well as posters for the local theater. He also continued to make a name for himself with his landscapes.
Following his tour of duty in World War II, Backus returned to his hometown, bought his father’s old boat shop, turned it into a studio, and settled into a life of painting. From the mid-1940s to the mid-1960s, Backus created bold, vigorous landscapes using a palette knife to apply thick layers of paint directly on the canvas.
“Palette-knife painting is referred to as ‘impasto’ painting — a style that Bean invented for himself rather than learning it from someone else,” Fredrick explains. “Instead of mixing colors on a palette, he placed the colors next to each other on the canvas, leaving the viewer’s eye/mind to do the blending.”
Backus married Patsy Hutchinson in 1950, but tragedy struck five years later when she died. He never recovered from his loss, and immersed himself in his painting. After his wife’s death, he traveled to Jamaica, fell in love with the island, and established another studio there.
In 1960, he relocated his Fort Pierce studio to a newly restored historic house. This decade also marked his transition from palette knife to brush, allowing him to create more detailed, serene scenes. In 1969, the Lyndon B. Johnson Library in Austin, Texas, commissioned Backus to paint “Everglades National Park,” propelling him to national prominence as an artist and a teacher.
Inasmuch as he is known for his art, he is equally famous for his humanity toward others. His biographer Olive Dame Peterson wrote of him, “He is remembered by everyone who knew him for his joy of living, his good humor, his sense of fun and entertainment, and for his generosity.”
Every year during the first week of March, the museum further honors the artist with its A.E. Backus Art Festival. “We display an additional 100 paintings on loan from collectors,” Fredrick says.
In addition to his namesake gallery, Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton possesses 61 of his paintings. His work also graces the Senate offices and the Florida House in Washington.
Throughout the year, the museum exhibits works by other artists whose mediums include photography, collage, drawing and more.
For more information, call 772/465-0630, or visit www.backusgallery.com.