Purvis Young (American, 1943–2010) – Untitled (Equestrian Procession & Haloed Figures), Mixed Media & Collage on Rag Paper, C. 1990s

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Purvis Young (American, 1943–2010) - Untitled - Mixed Media & Collage on Rag Paper, c. 1990s

Executed in mixed media … Read more Purvis Young (American, 1943–2010) - Untitled - Mixed Media & Collage on Rag Paper, c. 1990s

Executed in mixed media with a collaged central panel on heavy, deckled rag paper, this work embodies Purvis Young’s signature visual language. The central panel features calligraphic silhouettes of riders on horseback and attendants with raised arms—among Young’s most celebrated motifs, representing ancestral guardians, historical struggle, and spiritual ascension.

Unlike the hyper-dense, crowded street-scene murals Young executed on discarded plywood, this piece belongs to his sophisticated, contemplative series of works on paper. Here, the energetic narrative is compressed within an inset sheet and set against an expansive, atmospheric color-field ground of dry-brushed crimson, ochre, and teal.

This formal approach closely aligns with institutional benchmarks in major museum collections—most notably Young’s On the March (1996, Margaret Z. Robson Collection) in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM), which similarly pairs an open, meditative paper ground with a sweeping figurative procession. Both pieces appear to have been painted on a similar, if not identical batch of heavy coarse paper, available to him at the time. A similar handling of broad strokes suggests that both works were down around the same period. For these reasons, I have included an photo of "On the March" in the last image and credited above as: a Gift of John E. and Douglas O. Robson

Signature & Inscription:

Retains Young’s rapid, calligraphic signature flourish in paint along the upper right edge of the collaged inset sheet. As is typical of Young’s spontaneous, self-taught studio practice, the mark is executed swiftly wet-into-wet rather than neatly applied as a decorative signature.

Provenance:

Estate of Renee Isla Fox (1936–2026), Washington, D.C. and Seattle, WA.

Acquired directly from the personal estate of Renee I. Fox, a prominent Washington, D.C. attorney whose collection featured a discerning group of seminal American self-taught artists—including Howard Finster, Jimmy Lee Sudduth, Clementine Hunter, and Joe Jackson. Formed during the height of the East Coast folk art movement in the 1980s and 1990s, the collection reflects the curatorial impact of regional institutions and pioneering galleries (such as the Tartt Gallery and Anton Gallery) following the Corcoran Gallery of Art’s landmark 1982 exhibition Black Folk Art in America.

Specifications:

Artist: Purvis Young (American, 1943–2010)

Title: Untitled (Equestrian Procession)

Medium: Acrylic, ink, crayon, and collaged paper on heavy mould-made/deckled rag paper

Period: Circa 1990s

Framed Dimensions: 25 3/4" W × 34 1/4" H
The painting alone measures approximately: 22" x 30" without the backer board.

Condition: Excellent, untouched vintage condition. The sheet is floated within the frame, displaying its natural deckled edges and gentle cockling. Irregular trimming of the collage element, small adhesive bleed, to the upper right corner, all common for the artist’s working method. See less