Noah Purifoy, Artist
Untitled (Assemblage)
, 1967
Medium
Mixed media
Dimensions
66 x 39 x 8 in. (167.6 x 99.1 x 20.3 cm)
Credit Line
Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., Museum Purchase, the William A. Clark Fund and Gift of Dr. Samella Lewis. Photo courtesy of Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., ©Noah Purifoy Foundation
In this work an array of shoes, a framed diploma, wire, rags, brushes, fabrics, and other found objects have been assembled into a highly developed composition. The artist's act of assembling these objects into a new form exposes their obsolescence as well as their inability to elevate the social status of African Americans. For Purifoy, this reassessment of value is crucial to the meaning of his work as an artist and a community activist.