Purvis Young Original One-of-a-Kind Paintings Book 60+ Works, 23x19 Outsider Art

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This extraordinary one-of-a-kind large-scale (23” x 19”) artist’s book, featuring 64 original Purvis Young paintings, captures the essence of his … Read more This extraordinary one-of-a-kind large-scale (23” x 19”) artist’s book, featuring 64 original Purvis Young paintings, captures the essence of his powerful vision in a tangible, collectible form— a rare opportunity to own a piece of this iconic artist’s enduring legacy. This book includes all of his classic depictions of horses, celebrations, street scenes, trucks etc.

Purvis Young (February 4, 1943 – April 20, 2010) was a renowned self-taught American artist of Bahamian descent, widely celebrated as one of the most important figures in outsider art and the broader contemporary art world. Born in Miami’s Liberty City neighborhood to parents of Bahamian heritage, Young grew up in a challenging urban environment that profoundly shaped his artistic vision. As a young boy, his uncle—an accomplished local sign painter—introduced him to drawing, sparking an early interest, though Young soon drifted away from it and never completed high school.
In his teenage years, Young faced significant hardship, leading to a three-year prison sentence (1961–1964) at Raiford State Penitentiary in North Florida for breaking and entering. It was during this incarceration that he rediscovered art, drawing inspiration from art books available in the prison library. He studied masters such as Rembrandt, Vincent van Gogh, Paul Gauguin, and others, voraciously absorbing Western art history and honing his skills. This period marked a turning point: Young resolved to leave a life of crime behind and pursue art as his path forward.
Upon his release in 1964, Young settled in Miami’s Overtown neighborhood, a once-vibrant Black community that had been devastated by urban renewal projects, including the construction of Interstate 95, which displaced residents and left behind abandoned buildings and decay. Deeply influenced by the 1960s mural movement and works like Chicago’s Wall of Respect, Young began creating public art. In the early 1970s, he transformed “Good Bread Alley”—a derelict passageway in Overtown—into an open-air gallery by hanging hundreds of his paintings on the exterior walls of abandoned structures. These works, often painted on found materials like discarded wood, cardboard, Masonite, old doors, and scraps, depicted themes drawn from his surroundings: poverty, crime, struggle, racial injustice, incarceration, refugees, angels, ancestors, horses (symbolizing freedom), and everyday life in the urban underbelly. His vibrant, expressive style blended painting, drawing, and collage, frequently using acrylics and commercial paints on rough, textured surfaces.
Young’s art served as both personal expression and social commentary, functioning as a form of activism against bureaucracy, inequality, and the systemic issues plaguing his community. He became a prolific creator, producing thousands of works throughout his career. His breakthrough came when collector Bernard Davis discovered his Good Bread Alley installation, purchased several pieces, and helped launch his recognition in the art world.
Over the decades, Young’s work gained international acclaim. His paintings have been exhibited and collected by major institutions, including the Smithsonian American Art Museum, 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 Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Studio Museum in Harlem, and the Rubell Family Collection (which gifted works to the Tampa Museum of Art). He received widespread recognition during his lifetime, with solo exhibitions, inclusion in prominent shows, and features in publications. His influence extended to inspiring other artists and contributing to the visibility of self-taught and African American artists in mainstream galleries and museums.
Young’s legacy endures through the Purvis Young Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving, archiving, and exhibiting his works, based in Overtown’s historic Lyric Theater. His art continues to be celebrated for its raw energy, spiritual depth, and unflinching portrayal of social realities, making him a visionary “social expressionist” whose life—from hardship and incarceration to artistic triumph—embodies resilience and creative transformation. See less