About Alton Roland Lowe
Alton R. Lowe
Alton R. Lowe (born 1945, Green Turtle Cay, Abaco, The Bahamas) is a celebrated Bahamian artist whose realist oil paintings beautifully capture the landscapes, culture, and island life of The Bahamas. A seventh-generation Abaconian, he can trace his ancestry to the original Eleutheran Adventurers of the mid-1600s. His work invites Bahamians and visitors alike to appreciate the richness of their natural surroundings and historical roots.
Lowe’s love of art was nurtured at a young age, watching his father sketch sailing vessels at the family dining table. At age nine, he began art classes with a local American woman living on Green Turtle Cay. By fourteen, he had connected with an American couple who operated a gallery in Miami Beach. They recognized his talent and invited him to study with them after school, eventually helping him attend the prestigious Frank Reilly School of Art in New York City. There, Lowe studied classical drawing and painting, completing the four-year program in just three years.
After graduation, he spent time traveling and painting in England and Canada before returning home to The Bahamas, where he held his first exhibition in 1966. The success of that show launched a prolific career marked by decades of popular annual exhibitions, many held at the Nassau Beach Hotel.
In 1976, Lowe founded the Albert Lowe Museum in Green Turtle Cay, restoring a historic Loyalist home to honor and preserve the heritage of Abaco. He later collaborated with sculptor James Mastin to create the Loyalist Memorial Sculpture Garden, which pays tribute to the community’s founding families. The garden was inspired by the Key West Sculpture Garden—also featuring sculptures by Mastin—and reflects the enduring cultural connection between the two island communities.
In 1977, Lowe and Mastin—along with a number of Key Westers—co-founded the Island Roots Heritage Festival, a cultural event celebrating the shared heritage between Green Turtle Cay and Key West.
In the late 1990s, Lowe opened the Alton Lowe Art Gallery, a vibrant cultural space that hosted exhibitions, lectures, performances, and concerts. The gallery—housed in the lower floor of his home—was tragically destroyed in Hurricane Dorian in 2019, though many works were saved through the efforts of the community. The Albert Lowe Museum also sustained significant damage and continues to undergo restoration.
Lowe’s artistic contributions extend beyond the canvas. His paintings have been featured on over 100 Bahamian postage stamps, including commemorative series marking the 500th anniversary of Columbus’s landfall, the 200th anniversary of the Loyalist landing, and the country’s native flora. His works are held in public and private collections around the world, including those of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, HRH Prince Philip, HRH Prince Charles, and the late Princess Diana.
Today, Alton remains dedicated to celebrating and preserving Bahamian culture through his art. This site serves as a space where collectors can now explore a selection of original paintings and limited edition prints available for purchase in support of the museum. You can also join Alton and our community on on Facebook, where stories, paintings, and memories are shared regularly.
