Lot 172073

A.E. BACKUS FLORIDA ARTIST HISTORICAL TREASURE

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A.E. BACKUS FLORIDA ARTIST HISTORICAL TREASURE

Estimate: $50,000 - $100,000

Starting Bid: $35,000

(0 Bids)

June 6, 2026 1:00 PM EDT
Live Auction
Vero Beach, FL, US

Description:

Backus, Albert Ernest "Beanie" (1906 - 1990) Indian River School, founder of the Highwaymen movement - Florida Hall of Fame Artist. Oil on Canvas - signed lower right. Executed in palette knife. Albert Backus’s exceedingly rare net-mender endearingly titled “Dad’s Boat” stands as one of the most human, culturally resonant works in the Indian River School orbit—a luminous intersection of labor, heritage, and South Florida maritime history. Backus renders a intentionally bright scene with a sponge boat crew of Latino workers with documentary tenderness: men crouched over sprawling nets and tending to the skiff, their gestures rhythmic and purposeful, while dad’s sailboat distant yet central, anchoring the scene in coastal continuity. A Chickee-pole tent, its thatched canopy casting broken shade, rises behind them like a quiet architectural heartbeat of the tropics; crows perch atop its ridge, while a loyal dog rests in the cool shadow and mangroves that embrace the tropic soil completing the intimate choreography of daily life. Every stroke of the palette knife resonates with Backus’s classic playful use of purple, reds and orange juxtapositioned in barks and branches to ruse the beholder. What elevates this painting further is its storied provenance, a narrative as colorful as Backus’s palette. Emerging directly from the Robbie family of the Miami Dolphins esteem, the work became a private treasure within one of South Florida’s most influential households. Upon Robbie’s passing, his son transferred the painting to Howard Glicken—the formidable Coral Gables power broker, CEO of The Americas Group, founder of Spectrum Telecommunications and MGI Industries, and a central figure in U.S.–Latin American business diplomacy. Glicken kept the painting titled “Dad’s Boat” perhaps abord his own yacht, where Backus’s net-menders presided over countless voyages, their quiet labor echoing the industrious ambition of their successive owners. Only recently has this remarkable piece returned to shore, carrying with it a vivid, sun-soaked, and culturally layered provenance which we are privileged to offer herewith. Accompanied by Backus Museum 2006 provenance and Appraisal certificate. Canvas measures 24x30 framed to overall size of 31x37. Condition: Very Fine

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $199 $10
$200 $799 $25
$800 $1,499 $50
$1,500 $4,999 $100
$5,000 $9,999 $200
$10,000 $19,999 $500
$20,000 $39,999 $1,000
$40,000 $59,999 $2,000
$60,000 + $2,500