The Bass Museum of Art will give the Black Archives History and Research Foundation of South Florida a gift of almost 400 works of art by Miami artist Purvis Young. Young is represented in the collection of the Smithsonian Institute, the Corcoran Gallery of Art, the High Museum of Art, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. He was a self-taught artist whose paintings depicted scenes from African-American and urban life.

“Since 1977, The Black Archives has been a steward of Miami’s black history and Purvis Young is no doubt an important part of this community’s rich culture,” said Timothy A. Barber, executive director of the Black Archive, adding, “We are excited to make his works available to the community through future exhibitions and as a part of our archival collection.”

The exhibition “A Man Among the People: A Purvis Homecoming,” which features many artworks from the Bass Museum collection, is currently on view at the Black Archives Historic Lyric Theater Cultural Complex.