Purvis Young

(American, 1943–2010)

Purvis Young was a self-taught African-American artist known for his expressive collages and paintings. Made on found objects, including scrap metal, book pages, and discarded envelops, his richly colored depictions of trucks, figures, and coil-shaped abstractions, described a fraught yet inspired experience of living in the poverty stricken Overtown neighborhood of Miami. “What I say is the world is getting worser, guys pushing buggies, street people not having no jobs here in Miami, drugs kill the young, and church people riding around in luxury cars,” he once remarked. Born on February 4, 1943 in Liberty City, FL, he learned to draw from his uncle at a young age but never had any formal art training. It was during his incarceration at the Raiford State Penitentiary from 1961–1961 as a teenager, that he began drawing prolifically. Years after his release, Young’s creative output attracted the attention of Bernard Davis, the owner of the Miami Art Museum. Davis subsequently brought the artist’s work into the public eye, and by the 1970s, tourists and collectors regularly visited Young in Goodbread Alley where he lived and worked. Inspired by books on Rembrandt, Vincent van Gogh, El Greco, and Paul Gauguin, as well as documentaries on American history, Young’s work grew in scope and formal invention throughout the latter part of his career. The artist died on April 20, 2010 in Miami, FL. Today, his works are held in the collections of the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, the American Folk Art Museum in New York, and the de Young Museum of Art in San Francisco, among others.

Purvis Young News

Phillips Is Organizing a Selling Exhibition of Work by 64 African American Artists—With One Notable Absence

by Eileen Kinsella

Phillips Is Organizing a Selling Exhibition of Work by 64 African American Artists—With One Notable Absence

Making a Statement, Five Major Museums Acquire 51 Works by African American Artists From the Souls Grown Deep Foundation

by Sarah Cascone

Making a Statement, Five Major Museums Acquire 51 Works by African American Artists From the Souls Grown Deep Foundation

Art & Exhibitions

Newark Museum Highlights African-American Expression, From Romare Bearden to Mickalene Thomas

by Brian Boucher

Newark Museum Highlights African-American Expression, From Romare Bearden to Mickalene Thomas

Purvis Young Artworks

Purvis Young (638 results)

Untitled

Purvis Young

Sale Date: July 18, 2023

Auction Closed

Untitled (double-sided)

Purvis Young

Untitled (double-sided)

Sale Date: July 18, 2023

Auction Closed

Untitled

Purvis Young

Sale Date: July 18, 2023

Auction Closed

Untitled

Purvis Young

Sale Date: July 18, 2023

Auction Closed

Untitled

Purvis Young

Sale Date: July 18, 2023

Auction Closed

Untitled

Purvis Young

Sale Date: July 18, 2023

Auction Closed

Angel with Green Halo

Purvis Young

Angel with Green Halo

Sale Date: July 18, 2023

Auction Closed

Untitled (double-sided)

Purvis Young

Untitled (double-sided)

Sale Date: July 18, 2023

Auction Closed

Hero Warrior

Purvis Young

Sale Date: July 18, 2023

Auction Closed

Record Vinyl

Purvis Young

Sale Date: July 18, 2023

Auction Closed

Untitled

Purvis Young

Sale Date: July 18, 2023

Auction Closed

Untitled

Purvis Young

Sale Date: July 18, 2023

Auction Closed

Good People

Purvis Young

Sale Date: July 18, 2023

Auction Closed

Untitled

Purvis Young

Sale Date: June 16, 2023

Auction Closed

Untitled

Purvis Young

Sale Date: June 16, 2023

Auction Closed

Ange et chevaux

Purvis Young

Ange et chevaux

Sale Date: June 18, 2023

Auction Closed

Untitled

Purvis Young

Sale Date: June 13, 2023

Auction Closed

Purvis Young Painting, Work on Paper, Estate of...

Purvis Young

Purvis Young Painting, Work on Paper, Estate of...

Sale Date: May 20, 2023

Auction Closed

Purvis Young Painting, Estate of the Artist, 57

Purvis Young

Purvis Young Painting, Estate of the Artist, 57"W

Sale Date: May 20, 2023

Auction Closed

Purvis Young Painting, Work on Paper, Estate of...

Purvis Young

Purvis Young Painting, Work on Paper, Estate of...

Sale Date: May 20, 2023

Auction Closed

Purvis Young Painting, Large Work on Paper,...

Purvis Young

Purvis Young Painting, Large Work on Paper,...

Sale Date: May 20, 2023

Auction Closed

Purvis Young Collage Sketchbook, Black History...

Purvis Young

Purvis Young Collage Sketchbook, Black History...

Sale Date: May 20, 2023

Auction Closed

Purvis Young Painting, Estate of the Artist, 48

Purvis Young

Purvis Young Painting, Estate of the Artist, 48"W

Sale Date: May 20, 2023

Auction Closed

Massive Purvis Young Painting, Estate of the...

Purvis Young

Massive Purvis Young Painting, Estate of the...

Sale Date: May 20, 2023

Auction Closed

Previous 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Next

English (US)

©2024 Artnet Worldwide Corporation. All rights reserved.