Harry J. Sonntag lived as a hermit in Key Largo, FL in the early 1950's where he opened one of the first art galleries in the Keys. His work is remarkable, depicting brilliant sunsets and scenery of the Florida Keys, New York, and the Virgin Islands. "Art is the universal language and my desire is to bring beauty to the multitude so that people may realize how lovely is this world." Harry J. Sonntag (1900-1991)

He lived in a shack with no electricity or running water, and opened his art gallery in an old lime packing shed. According to those who knew him, "Rather than sacrifice the value of his soul as seen through his artwork, he would eat boiled seaweed". Fishermen would often throw him a fish or turtle to eat.

Before moving to the Keys he had an art studio in New York that burned down, and as a young man studied at the Art Student's League and Pratt Institute where he received excellent marks. He traveled to California, Arizona, Washington, New England and lived for three years in the Devils Lake area of Wisconsin.

When Islamorada artist Millard Wells critiqued the paintings in January of 1998, he passed from image to image saying things like "Look at this power" and "See this strong use of brilliant color".

We obtained the paintings when a woman in Kissimmee, FL was cleaning out her storage shed. Her late husband had found the works in the 60's while on vacation in the Virgin Islands. She was getting rid of the paintings when we discovered them and found them to be remarkable.

Our collection of Harry Sonntag's work consists of 162 watercolor paintings, an oil painting, 3 charcoal drawings, a copper etching, newspaper articles, and personal photographs of the late Mr. Sonntag.