Alfred Warner Hair was the driving force behind the artists dubbed “The Highwaymen.” Killed in a barroom fight at the age of 29 nearly 50 years ago, he has left his mark with the thousands of paintings he left behind and a one-of-a-kind artistic legacy. His work will be explored at an exhibition at A.E. Backus Museum & Gallery in Fort Pierce from Jan. 8 through Feb. 16.
It has been nearly 50 years since a young black man was shot and later died on a hot August night in a modest little bar on Avenue D in Fort Pierce. He might have been forgotten, except that he left a curious legacy that was to live on long after his death.