CORAL GABLES COLLECTS :
BEANIE BACKUS AND HIS IMPRINT IN SOUTH FLORIDA
THROUGH THE ALLEN MORRIS COLLECTION

March 11 – May 21, 2026

Gallery 109 & Anthony R. Abraham Family Gallery

This exhibition celebrates the artistic legacy of Albert Ernest “Beanie” Backus (1906–1990), whose luminous depictions of Florida’s swamps, marshes, and expansive skies helped define the visual identity of the state. A self‑taught painter, Backus became a central figure in Florida’s mid‑20th‑century art scene and inspired many young Black artists, including members of the Highwaymen.

As part of the Museum’s Coral Gables Collects series, the exhibition highlights the collection of W. Allen Morris, who studied with Backus and maintained a family friendship with the artist until his passing. The collection was first assembled by his father, L. Allen Morris, and later expanded by Morris Jr. Among its most distinctive pieces is a body cast worn by Morris after a plane accident, onto which Backus spontaneously painted and signed a Florida landscape.

Spanning several decades, the works on view reflect key themes in Backus’s practice—from his iconic Florida vistas to his interest in religious subjects and his depictions of Oracabessa, Jamaica, where he spent extended periods painting local life and the island’s vibrant environment.