Lot 252:
Purvis Young, Signed Figural Procession Oil Painting on Found Wood - No Reserve
Description
Keywords: American Art, Outsider Art, Folk Art, Urban Expressionism, Miami Artist, Overtown, Figural, Procession, Protest, Social Commentary, Found Wood, Oil Painting, African American Art, Contemporary Art, Signed
Summary:
Purvis Young (American, 1943–2010), figural oil painting on found wood. The elongated composition depicts a procession of gestural figures rendered in black, white, red, and gray against a loosely painted pink ground. Several figures appear with raised arms, creating a dynamic scene characteristic of Young’s recurring imagery of crowds, protest, struggle, and communal experience. Signed ‘Young’ at right.
The work is painted directly onto an irregular found wood board, a material closely associated with Young’s practice and his use of salvaged objects from Miami’s Overtown neighborhood.
Bio:
Purvis Young (1943–2010) was a self-taught American artist born in Miami’s Liberty City neighborhood and closely associated with Overtown. Beginning in the 1970s, Young became known for painting on discarded plywood, scrap lumber, cardboard, doors, and other found materials. His highly expressive compositions frequently feature recurring figures, crowds, horses, angels, warriors, prisoners, and scenes reflecting social struggle and everyday urban life. Smithsonian American Art Museum
Young gained early recognition for his celebrated Good Bread Alley installation in Overtown, where he attached paintings to abandoned buildings and storefronts. His work later entered numerous major institutional collections, including the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Philadelphia Museum of Art, High Museum of Art, National Museum of African American History and Culture, and American Folk Art Museum. In 2018, he was inducted into the Florida Artists Hall of Fame.
This is a NO RESERVE lot. There are no hidden or confidential reserves. All acceptable bidding begins at the published online START PRICE.
Measurement: Art: 10 3/4 x 20 1/4 in. (27.3 x 51.4 cm.) approx
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