YOUNG Purvis (1943-2010) Untitled / Mixed media on notebook - Lot 423

YOUNG Purvis (1943-2010) Untitled / Mixed media on notebook page / Signed and dated top right Signed and dated 5.12.92 top right / 27.5 x 21 cm / Mounted on black Canson measuring 40 x 30 cm Born in the poor neighborhood of Liberty City, Miami. In the early 1960s, he spent three years in prison for armed robbery. It was there that he began to draw with passion and to document his knowledge of art. After his release, he continued to produce thousands of drawings, which he accumulated in shopping carts or glued to old magazines and found books. He uses pieces of wood, bottles and anything else he can get his hands on. He depicts buildings, animals (especially horses), boats, people in the street, or angels' faces. He sometimes adds a poetic message to his paintings. Despite some success, he continued to live in poverty, blending into the "landscape" of Overtown's deserted streets. His art - as much as his technique - is difficult to classify: calligraphy, collage, graffiti.