Win an original Guy Harvey painting to benefit the Backus Museum

The A.E. Backus Museum & Gallery is offering the chance to win a dynamic masterpiece of a familiar Florida subject by the internationally-renowned marine wildlife artist and conservationist Guy Harvey valued at $10,000.

The painting, titled Blanco Solo, is acrylic on canvas and measures 30” x 40” inches. It features the artist's signature subject, an Atlantic White Marlin cruising through a seascape of crystal clear ocean with a splash of sargassum. The composition of the work gives a hint of the surface world above in the scattered glints of sunlight, but it is the expansive, cool blues that hint at the depths below, where the sleek and majestic marlin reigns supreme.

Guy Harvey is a unique blend of artist, scientist, diver, angler, conservationist and explorer, fiercely devoted to his family and his love of the sea. Growing up in Jamaica, he spent many hours fishing and diving with his father along the Island's south coast. He was obsessed with the creatures of the sea and began drawing pictures of the many different fish he observed. By 1988 he had fully transitioned from his advanced studies in marine biology to his deep dive into painting full time.

Dr. Harvey has traveled the world to gain more knowledge of the habits and activities of marine wildlife. He became an avid scuba diver and skilled underwater photographer. He pioneered a technique of diving and photographing free-swimming billfish. His personal observations made during these diving expeditions have better enabled him to capture the detail in his paintings that contributes to the popularity of his work.

A passion for the beauty and wonder of the underwater world has driven Dr. Harvey to be a leading conservationist and advocate for the protection of our environment. He dedicates much of his talent, time and resources to programs that protect our oceans, fish population and reef systems. The Guy Harvey Research Institute at Nova Southeastern University and The Guy Harvey Foundation have taken on a leadership role in providing the scientific information necessary to understand and protect the world’s fish resources and biodiversity from continued decline.

The Backus Museum is grateful to Guy Harvey for his generous assistance in making this painting available for our 2024 art raffle.

Tickets are available for donations of $25 each, or $60 for three, or $100 for six chances to win! The winning tickets will be announced at 12:30 pm on Sunday, March 3, 2024 at the A.E. Backus Museum & Gallery, 500 N. Indian River Drive, Fort Pierce, FL 34950.

You need not be present to win; the winner will be contacted. Only 3,000 tickets will be available. Complete rules are online and on display at the Museum.

All proceeds will help support the Museum and its work in the community.

Many today still remember the altruism of A.E. "Bean" Backus, and how he used his paintings to help local nonprofits in their work helping others. For many years the Museum continued a version of this tradition as a favorite fundraiser for our own work in the community. Today, we expand on this spirit to support the Backus Museum with the help and work of other master artists of Florida Art. Visit www.BackusMuseum.org/raffle to purchase tickets online.

All dates and programming subject to change; please check the website for any updates or cancellations.

The A.E. Backus Museum & Gallery is a community-based, 501(c)3 not-for-profit arts institution that relies on your support. Contributions to sustain our mission and work in the community can be made securely online at www.BackusMuseum.org/donate. Gifts can also be made as an ongoing monthly donation, as a way to extend contributions and provide steady support through uncertainties. For more information, please visit www.BackusMuseum.org.

About the A.E. Backus Museum & Gallery

Since its founding in 1960 and the first day the doors opened in 1961, the A.E. Backus Museum & Gallery has been a center and catalyst for creativity and culture in our region. The Museum houses the nation’s largest public presentation of artwork by Florida’s preeminent painter, A.E. “Bean” Backus (1906-1990), and also continues its more than sixty-year tradition of exhibiting and celebrating the paintings of the original Florida Highwaymen, who got their start here. In addition, the Museum organizes and hosts changing exhibitions from artists of regional, national and international acclaim. The Backus Museum was recognized as the 2022 Best of the Best Community Choice Award for Best Art Gallery; and the 2021 Best Tourist Attraction – 2018 Best Museum / Best of the Treasure Coast by the readers of Indian River Magazine.

Schedule: The Museum is open with Preseason Hours Wednesday – Saturday, 10 AM to 4 PM; Sunday, 12 Noon to 4 PM through September 29; the Museum will be closed September 30 – October 7 for installation, then resume Regular Hours on October 8. Admission is $5 per person; AARP, AAA, and Veterans with appropriate ID receive a $2 discount. Students with school ID, children under 18, active duty military, and current members are always free. Visitors are asked to follow the latest public health guidance for the safety and comfort of guests, staff, and volunteers.

Treasure Coast Business is a news service and magazine published in print, via e-newsletter and online at tcbusiness.com by Indian River Media Group. For more information or to report news email news@indianrivermedia.com