Purvis Young at the GalleryBar (LES)

What:
�Protest: Paintings by Purvis Young�
An Exhibition curated by Skot Foreman

When:
Thursday, May 1, 2008
7 pm-10 pm
(Press Check-In 7:00 pm)

Where:
GalleryBar
120 Orchard St. between Delancey and Rivington Streets
Open Bar and Hors d�Oeuvres will be served

Who:
Artist: Purvis Young

For Immediate Release � Opening on May 1, 2008, Gallery Bar is proud to host curator, Skot Foreman and his exhibit �Protest: Paintings by Purvis Young�. Born on Feb. 4, 1943, Purvis Young was raised in one of South Florida�s most notoriously violent and drug infested ghettos: Overtown, Florida. During a 3 year stint in prison for breaking and entering Purvis discovered mentors Rembrandt and Van Gogh in the public library and taught himself to paint. �When I was in my cell one night,� Purvis remembers, �I woke up and the angels came to me and I told �em, you know, hey man this is not my life � and they said they were gonna make a way for me, you know.� While Purvis followed this new �way� of life he still could not afford canvas and painted on anything he could find from refrigerator doors to scraps of fabric and loose plywood.
His paintings are reflections of the violence he still resides in, a land of pimps, prostitutes and crackheads. His style is considered highly expressionistic and has been described as �magic realism.� Young�s work is powerful and straightforward displaying symbols of a freedom he still yearns for including wild horses, trucks and angels. His paintings are included in over 100 permanent museum collections around the globe. �New Yorkers will be able to see never before exhibited early work which documents his attitudes towards war, social injustices and an oppressive �system�,� says curator Skot Foreman, one of the foremost dealers and publishers of his work and producer of �Purvis Young: Contemporary Urban Painter �, an intimate documentary exploring a day in the life of Purvis Young. Co-owner of GalleryBar, Darin Rubell (cousin of Don and Mera Rubell) adds, �This exhibit is what we are all about, bringing young collectors an opportunity to purchase incredible art at affordable prices. It�s really a dream come true for any young collector.� Paintings are available for purchase from $1,000 to $50,000 with the average in the $5,000 to $10,000 range.
The show will be on display from May 1-June 17, 2008. For more information regarding GalleryBar please visit www.gallerybarnyc.com. To attend the opening, please email krista@sarahivory.com. This is a private event.