Purvis Young Foundation Honors The Life And Works Of Artist Purvis Young

The Purvis Young Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to collecting, exhibiting, and archiving the works of the great American master artist Purvis Young, and to preserve his artistic legacy. The organization was founded in January 2021 by Joe Chirichigno and Irvin Byrd, the brother of Purvis Young. Their mission is to further public knowledge and appreciation of the visual arts and to provide programs to assist the education and development of the local, national and international art communities.

Purvis Young was born in Liberty City, a neighborhood of Miami, Florida, on February 2, 1942. As a young boy, Purvis spent time with his uncle, Irvin Young, a well-known local sign painter who introduced him to drawing and painting. Purvis had a very limited formal education and did not attend high school. He was a self-taught artist whose work was often a blend of painting and drawing with elements of collage, using everyday discarded objects such as found pieces of wood, crates, carpeting and abandoned door panels. Inspired by documentaries, art books, American history and spiritual folklore, Purvis’ profound visual language includes wild horses, urban landscapes, self portraits, figures, holy men, angels, warriors, musicians, and incarceration to name but a few. “I paint from reality. I paint the problems of the world. I’m an artist, and I’d love to solve the problems of the world.” — Purvis Young.

The Foundation’s projects include collaborating on exhibitions and publications, organizing and maintaining the Purvis Young archives, examining works attributed to Purvis Young and the cataloging and authentication of the artist’s works. Certificates of Authenticity are available from the Purvis Young Foundation, signed by the brother of the artist. Register your Purvis art in the foundation archive, application form and instructions are available on the foundation’s website.

Purvis gained recognition as a contemporary artist with a collectors’ following that included Jane Fonda, Damon Wayans, Jim Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, and others. In 2006 a feature documentary titled Purvis of Overtown was produced about his life and art. 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 Philadelphia Museum of Art, and many more. In 2018, Purvis was inducted into the Florida Artists Hall of Fame.

Art has the power to change lives. Purvis was passionate about helping children. He loved the time he spent teaching young minds about art. As a youth Purvis had a troubled life and spent several years in prison. While in prison he had an epiphany; a spiritual intervention of sorts. Purvis realized that a life of crime was not for him, but instead to live life as an artist. His life and our art world were forever changed when Purvis dedicated the remaining days of his life to painting and creating art capturing the world around him.

Purvis was firmly committed to passing on his art skills and to helping children feel the same positive life-changing power which art had given to him. Throughout his career Purvis led painting sessions with children in his Overtown community. The Purvis Young Foundation continues his legacy by providing art supplies and instruction to underprivileged children with the hope to inspire countless new generations of artists.