This monumental painting titled People Leaving Overtown by celebrated Miami outsider artist Purvis Young powerfully reflects one of the most significant historical transformations in Miami’s urban landscape. Executed on a large salvaged wood panel, the work depicts a dense cityscape filled with expressive figures, buildings, and symbolic imagery rendered in Young’s distinctive, raw visual language.

The subject directly relates to the construction of Interstate 95 through Miami’s historically Black Overtown neighborhood during the 1960s. The development of the highway displaced thousands of residents and businesses, triggering a mass exodus and the dramatic decline of what had once been one of the most vibrant African-American communities in the South. Young, who lived and worked in Overtown, frequently addressed this social upheaval in his art. The many small silhouetted figures moving across the rooftops and structures symbolize the forced migration of residents leaving the neighborhood during this period of urban redevelopment.

Dominating the composition are three circular forms in the center, representing what the artist described as the “three eyes of the government,” symbolizing oversight, authority, and the systemic forces that reshaped the community. On the left side of the composition appears a large stylized face emerging from the cityscape, representing “the prophet,” a symbolic figure observing the social turmoil and transformation unfolding within the city.

The layered buildings, ladders, flames, and figures create a sense of urgency and movement throughout the composition, reflecting both the physical displacement and the emotional weight of the moment. Like many of Young’s works, the painting is executed on salvaged wood—materials he frequently used from the streets of Overtown—reinforcing the direct connection between his art and the neighborhood itself.

Purvis Young is widely recognized as one of the most important self-taught artists in American art history. His work is included in major museum collections including the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Pérez Art Museum Miami. Large narrative works addressing the history and struggles of Overtown are among the most historically significant pieces in his oeuvre.

Details

Artist: Purvis Young (American, 1943–2010)

Title: People Leaving Overtown

Medium: Acrylic / mixed media on salvaged wood panel

Dimensions: H: 4 ft x W: 8 ft

Framing: The piece comes unframed

Signature: Unsigned; accompanied by handwritten description identifying imagery and symbolism

Subject Notes: Three central circular forms represent the “three eyes of the government.” The large face on the left represents “the prophet.”

Condition: Surface wear, abrasions, and edge wear consistent with the use of reclaimed wood panel and the artist’s materials; condition consistent with Purvis Young’s found-material aesthetic.

Purvis Young People Leaving Overtown large painting Miami Overtown history I-95 highway displacement outsider art monumental wood panel social commentary American self taught artist.

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