Purvis Young Mixed-Media Painting, 1980s

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Abstract mixed-media work by artist Purvis Young. Folk Art portraying bleeding and pregnant figures in a crowd, policemen on horseback … Read more Abstract mixed-media work by artist Purvis Young. Folk Art portraying bleeding and pregnant figures in a crowd, policemen on horseback and large blue eyes. Young used eyes as symbols for authority. The work depicting police brutality is painted in ochre, red, white, blue, black and pink, and is "framed" by the artist with wood and carpeting remnants. The 1980 Miami riots were race riots that occurred in Miami, Florida, starting on May 18, 1980, following the acquittal of four Dade County Public Safety Department officers in the death of Arthur McDuffie (December 3, 1946–December 21, 1979).

Purvis Young was a Miami, Florida native whose works, blends of collage and painting, utilized found objects and portrayed the experience of African Americans in the south and in his adoptive neighborhood, Overtown. Young gained recognition as a contemporary artist, with a collectors' following including celebrities such as Jane Fonda, Jim Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, among others, and his works are highly sough after. In 2006, the documentary Purvis of Overtown was produced about his life and work. His work can be found in the collections of over 58 museums nationwide, including The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Smithsonian, The American Folk Art Museum, the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, etc. An amazing work for any admirer or collector of fine Folk or Outsider Art. See less