Purvis Young Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Purvis Young
Purvis Young, 2008
Born	(1943-02-02)February 2, 1943 Liberty City, Miami, Florida
Died	April 20, 2010(2010-04-20) (aged 67) Miami, Florida
Nationality	American
Known for	Contemporary art, art brut, urban art, painting, installation art
Awards	Artists/Fellowship, National Endowment for the Arts

Patron(s)	Jane Fonda, Damon Wayans, Jim Belushi, Dan Aykroyd

Purvis Young (born February 4, 1943 – died April 20, 2010) was an American artist. He grew up in the Overtown neighborhood of Miami, Florida. Young's artwork often mixed collage and painting. He used everyday items he found and showed the experiences of African Americans in the southern United States.

Purvis Young became known as a unique contemporary artist. Many people collected his art, including famous names like Jane Fonda, Damon Wayans, Jim Belushi, and Dan Aykroyd. In 2006, a movie called Purvis of Overtown was made about his life and art. His work can be seen in important places like the American Folk Art Museum and the National Museum of African American History and Culture. In 2018, he was honored by being added to the Florida Artists Hall of Fame.

Purvis Young's Early Life and Art Journey
Becoming a Public Artist in Miami
Later Career and Passing Away
Understanding Purvis Young's Art
- Where You Can See His Art (Public Collections)
- Art Exhibitions
Images for kids
See also

Purvis Young's Early Life and Art Journey

Purvis Young was born in Liberty City, a part of Miami, Florida, on February 2, 1943. When he was a young boy, his uncle showed him how to draw. However, Young quickly lost interest. He never went to high school.

As a teenager, Young spent three years (1961–1964) in prison. While there, he became interested in art again. He started drawing and reading art books. After he was released, he made thousands of small drawings. He kept these drawings in shopping carts. Later, he glued them into old books and magazines he found on the streets. He then moved to the Overtown neighborhood in Miami. In 1971, Young was drawn to an empty alley called Goodbread Alley. This alley was named after the Jamaican bakeries that used to be there. He started living in the alley.

Becoming a Public Artist in Miami

In the early 1970s, Young was inspired by the large murals he saw in Chicago and Detroit. He decided to create his own inspiring mural in Overtown. He had never painted before, but he felt a strong urge to create. He began making paintings and nailing them to the boarded-up storefronts in the alley. He painted on pieces of wood he found on the streets. Sometimes, paintings would "disappear" from the wall, but Young did not mind.

About two years after he started his mural, people began visiting the alley. Most of these visitors were tourists. Sometimes, Young sold his paintings directly from the wall to visitors and art collectors. His mural gained attention from the media. It even caught the eye of Bernard Davis, a wealthy art collector who owned the Miami Art Museum. Davis became a supporter of Young. He even gave Young painting supplies. Davis passed away in 1973, but by then, Young had become a local celebrity in Miami.

Later Career and Passing Away

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Purvis Young found new ideas for his art. He watched documentaries about history, including wars, the Great Depression, and the struggles of Native American people. In 1999, the Rubell family, who are well-known art collectors from New York, bought almost all the artwork from Young's studio. This was a collection of nearly 3,000 pieces. In 2008, the Rubells gave 108 of these artworks to Morehouse College.

In January 2007, Purvis was chosen for a special exhibition at the Art Miami Fair. Young also helped start several outdoor art fairs in South Florida. These fairs are still held today.

As Young became more successful, he earned more money. However, he faced some challenges with managing his finances. Before he passed away, he had a legal disagreement with his former manager. Young had health problems later in his life. He suffered from diabetes. In 2007, he had a kidney transplant. Purvis Young died on April 20, 2010, in Miami. He passed away from heart and lung problems. He was survived by his two sisters, Betty Rodriguez and Shirley Byrd, and his brother, Irvin Byrd.

In 2015, The Bass Museum of Art announced a donation. They gave almost 400 pieces of Young's art to the Black Archives History and Research Foundation of South Florida. This foundation is located in the Lyric Theater in Overtown.

Understanding Purvis Young's Art

Young was greatly influenced by Western art history. He eagerly read books from his local public library about artists like Rembrandt, Vincent van Gogh, Gauguin, El Greco, Daumier, and Picasso. His artwork was bright and full of color. Some people described it as looking like fingerpainting.

Common themes in his art included angels, wild horses, and city scenes. Through his works, he shared his thoughts on social and racial issues. He also spoke out about politics and government rules. He is known for influencing art styles called social expressionism or urban expressionism.

In 2016, the records of art collector Jimmy Hedges were given to the Smithsonian Archives of American Art. These records include information about Hedges's interactions with many artists, including Purvis Young. In 2018, more materials about Young were added to these papers. They included photos, notes, and business records.

Also in 2018, during Art Basel/Miami Art week, Purvis Young's art was shown at the Japour Family Collection. An entire floor of the Rubell Collection was also dedicated to his works. Two of Purvis Young's artworks appear on the 2018 album American Utopia by David Byrne.