BaCA Host an Exhibition of the Works of Legendary Artist Purvis Young

Pompano Beach Arts, in conjunction with FATVillage Arts District, will present the acclaimed works of the late Florida artist Purvis Young. The exhibition entitled The Onliest Thing I Could Mostly Do celebrates the life and work of the renowned self-taught artist. Born in Liberty City, but a resident of Overtown, Miami, Young was known for his vibrant folk art. Focused on storytelling, Young's works explored social, racial, and political themes. Curated by Tayina Deravile, this exhibition will feature a diverse range of Young's artworks, including paintings and mixed-media pieces. The opening reception takes place on Friday, January 5, 2024, during Old Town Untapped, from 6 pm-10 pm, and the exhibition runs through March 15, 2024. For more information, www.pompanobeacharts.org

 

“Once known as an ‘outsider artist,' Purvis is now considered one of the most important self-taught artists of the 20th century. His works are owned and exhibited by major cultural institutions including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City and collected by high profile celebrities,”  said Ty Tabing, Director, Department of Cultural Affairs. “We are honored to be showcasing his work in Pompano Beach, and we look forward to the community viewing his inspiring works of art.”

 

Purvis Young was an American artist born on February 4, 1943, in the Liberty City neighborhood of Miami, Florida. He was a self-taught creator who developed a unique style of painting that blended elements of collage, folk art, and social commentary. His work often depicted scenes of everyday life in Overtown, a predominantly Black community in Miami, including street scenes, churches, schools along with portraits of individuals and families. Young used bright colors, bold patterns, and found objects to create vibrant and energetic compositions that captured the spirit of his community and used a variety of techniques, including painting, collage, and drawing. Young's work was also infused with social commentary, addressing issues such as poverty, racism, and violence, as he believed that art could be a powerful tool for social change.

 

“I been drawing all my life, but I taught myself to paint in the early seventies. I seen people protesting. I seen the war going on. Then I found out how these guys paint their feelings up North, paint on walls. That's when I start painting like that. I didn't have nothing going for myself. That's the onliest thing I could mostly do. I was just looking through art books, looking at guys painting their feelings. The first things I painted were heads with halos around them.”

“I started out about 1971 in Goodbread Alley. I wanted to express my own feeling. I wanted the peoples to see it. I put my paintings on a lot of fronts of abandoned buildings. They was fixing to tear them down and build an expressway. I knowed when I was making the art that one day it was going to go. Nothing's going to last forever.”– Taken from interviews with Purvis Young by William Arnett and Larry Clemons in 1994 and 1995.

Young began drawing as a child, using whatever materials he could find. In the 1960s, he began to create larger scale works on found pieces of wood, cardboard, and paper. He often incorporated objects such as bottle caps, buttons, and pieces of jewelry into his paintings. Young's work was initially met with indifference from the art world. However, in the 1980s, his paintings began to gain recognition. His work is found in the collections of the American Folk Art Museum, the Corcoran Gallery of Art, the High Museum of Art, the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the Pérez Art Museum Miami, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Bakehouse Art Complex, and many others. In 2018, he was inducted into the Florida Artists Hall of Fame. His work was also collected by celebrities such as Jane Fonda, Damon Wayans, Jim Belushi, and Dan Aykroyd. Purvis Young died in 2010 at the age of 67.

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