About Alton Roland Lowe
Alton Lowe (born Green Turtle Cay, Abaco, The Bahamas, 1945) is an important figure in Bahamian art whose realist oil paintings celebrate the beauty of the Bahamian landscape and island life. He has over 100 paintings featured on Bahamian stamps, and collectors of his works include Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip, HRH Prince Charles, the late Princess Diana, and Mr. and Mrs. Reginald Sands.
A seventh-generation Abaconian, Alton would sit at the family table and watch his father drawing seascapes and sailing boats. Those moments inspired a young artist who would grow up to be one of Abaco’s finest.
His passion for art grew as he took art classes with a local American woman at age 9. Then, at 14, he was invited to America by a couple who ran an art gallery in Miami, Florida. Once he finished school, he took them up on their offer and studied art for two years in Florida. With their assistance, he would travel to New York City where he studied classical drawing and painting at the Frank Reilly School of Art; completing his four-year course in only three years.
Prior to returning to the Bahamas, Alton Lowe spent time in both England and Canada. Back home in Abaco, an exhibition of his works was held in 1966, after which he held highly successful and popular annual exhibitions, showing for three decades at the Nassau Beach Hotel.
In 1976, he founded the Albert Lowe Museum on Green Turtle Cay, a beautifully restored Loyalist home that gives insight into the history and culture of Abaco. Soon thereafter, he created the Loyalist Memorial Sculpture Garden which pays tribute to founders of the community.
Alton has several paintings used for Bahamian postage stamps in 1985. And again in 1992, the Bahamian government commissioned over more paintings to celebrate the country’s 500-year anniversary of the arrival of Columbus; to mark 200 years since the American Loyalist landing; and a set to celebrate the islands’ native flora. There are over 100 stamps with Alton’s work on them.
Alton opened his own gallery space in the late 90s, The Alton Lowe Art Gallery in Green Turtle Cay, where he hosted on-going cultural projects, exhibitions, lectures, concerts and performances. The gallery became a hub for culture in the Abacos.
The gallery was the lower floor of his home and both were destroyed by Hurricane Dorian in September, 2019. About 40 paintings were saved because the community crated many paintings before the store hit. However, many sustained water damage and most of the photographic archives were lost. The museum also sustained major damage including its artifacts.
The natural and bounteous beauty of the Bahamas remain the source of Lowe’s inspiration. His paintings gloriously capture, with a vibrancy of colour, his love for his surroundings. Alton’s passion for the rich history and natural paradise of the Bahamas is also demonstrated by his dedication to their protection, preservation, and celebration.
This digital archive of Alton Lowe’s work is simply a place to easily enjoy his paintings in one place and for collectors of his paintings, digital collectibles (NFTs), and prints, to have access to support Alton and the museum. Be sure to join us on Facebook where Alton is active with our community.
