Roy (R.A.) McLendon

(Florida, b. 1932)

Untitled (Florida sunset with figures)

Oil on artist's board

22" x 16"

Signed "R.A. McLendon" to the bottom right corner, "60" (a possible date) in pen to the reverse. Housed in a frame measuring 25 1/2" x 19 1/2".

Roy McLendon is one of the five founding members of the Florida Highwaymen, a collective of Black artists that formed in the 1950s and flourished in the face of the difficulties of segregation. These artists were confident that their romantic Floridian landscapes would be in high demand if they could find the gallery representation frequently denied them, so they took to the road to sell their own work from the trunks of their cars. McClendon learned painting from fellow founding Highwayman Harold Newton, and he found great success with the atypical salesman model. McLendon's son Roy Jr. would later follow in his father's footsteps to become a "second wave Florida Highwayman."

Good condition. The edges of the board are slightly impressed by the frame's nails, visible only from the reverse. A few spots of mild spatter in the top left and bottom left corners. No in-painting or touch-ups visible under blacklight inspection.