Assemblage of painted plywood, leather, suede and champagne corks, circa 1966-68. 1390x900x38 mm; 54 3/4x35 3/8x1 1/2inches.
Provenance: acquired directly from the artist, Los Angeles (1975-78); private collection, Rochester, New York.
This remarkable assemblage work by Noah Purifoy reveals the artist's complex interests in both sculpture and design. In this panel Purifoy incorporates interior materials and construction, abstract design and found objects. Another similar artwork, entitled "Wall Piece" and dated 1967, can be seen in an interiors photograph of a dining room design by the artist. This color image is found on page 30 of his scrapbook "Join for the Arts" - one of many images of his artwork installed in design show interiors.
Raised in Alabama, Purifoy graduated with an undergraduate degree from Alabama State Teachers College in 1943, and a graduate degree from Atlanta University in 1948. Noah Purifoy moved to Los Angeles in 1953 to study at the Chouinard Art Institute. Purifoy received a BFA in 1956, just before turning forty. Noah Purifoy had begun his career as a commercial artist - including work in interior design, construction and window displays for the Broadway department store. He also worked in furniture design with the Angelus Furniture Warehouse, and partnered with John H. Smith, the first African-American interior designer accredited by the National Society of Interior Designers (NSID), whom he had met while studying design at Chouinard. Noah Purifoy papers, 1935–1998, Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution; Sirmans/Lipschutz pp. 68-69.
