Purvis Young

Purvis Young (American, February 4, 1943-20 April 2010) was a self-taught American artist who mixed collage and painting, and used items found in the street to describe his experiences in life. Young was born in Liberty City, Florida, and was introduced to art by his uncle. He never had a formal education and is not going to high school. He served three years, from 1961 to 1964, to the state penitentiary of Raiford & nbsp; for break -in. It was then that he was serving his sentence in prison that Young rekindled his love of art and began to learn different Artistic styles from books. Once out of prison, Young started to make thousands of drawings and place them in a basket. He then stuck the drawings in books and magazines he found in the street. In 1971, Young settled in Goodbred Alley in Miami, fl. It was there that he began to follow the wall movement which was popular in Chicago and Detroit. He drew paintings and nailed them to closed windows. He finally gained the interest of Bernard Davis, who owned Miami Art Museum. Davis would provide Young with materials to create its murals. Young began to explore this artistic medium in the 1990s and 2000s after watching documentaries on war, the Great Depression and other struggles. Young's works can be seen at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C., as well as in many private collections.