Noah Purifoy Paintings & Artwork for Sale | Noah Purifoy Art Value Price Guide

May. 11, 2024
Noah Purifoy (American, 1917-2004) - Malt Liquor
Est: $10,000 - $15,000
Noah Purifoy (American, 1917-2004) - Malt Liquor Signed ‘Noah’ bottom right corner, found object mounted on board. object: 9 ¼ x 5 ½ in. (23.5 x 14cm) board: 15 ½ x 11 ½ in. (39.4 x 29.2cm) Provenance California African American Museum (CAAM). Private Collection, Virginia (acquired directly from the above c. 1996).
Freeman's | Hindman
Oct. 19, 2023
NOAH PURIFOY (1917 - 2004) Untitled (Domino Toaster).
Est: $5,000 - $7,000
NOAH PURIFOY (1917 - 2004) Untitled (Domino Toaster). Assemblage of tiled white dominoes on a toaster, 1996. Approximately 194x222x146 mm; 7 7/8x9 1/2x5 3/4 inches. Engraved signature and date on a white metal plaque, on the side with the temperature control. Signed and dated in ink on the underside. Provenance: gift from the artist, the Xavier Cázares Cortéz Family Collection. This assemblage by Noah Purifoy is from his Domino Toaster series, where Puriofy reused Proctor-Silex toasters and tiles them with dominos to give new meaning. Championing a Duchampian approach, Purifoy recycled and assembled discarded, everyday items, making ordinary, utilitarian objects into works of fine art.
Swann Auction Galleries
Oct. 19, 2023
NOAH PURIFOY (1917 - 2004) Untitled (30 Cans).
Est: $15,000 - $25,000
NOAH PURIFOY (1917 - 2004) Untitled (30 Cans). Assemblage of 30 oil cans in a wooden box, 1995. 1225x622x69 mm; 48 1/4x24 1/2x2 3/4 inches. Engraved signature and date on a metal plaque, lower right. Signed and dated in ink, frame back. Provenance: gift from the artist, the Xavier Cázares Cortéz Family Collection. Used oil cans are the essential component of this striking assemblage by Noah Purifoy. This modernist construction epitomizes the bold spirit of Purifoy's Junk Dada vision. Purifoy utilized found objects to convey messages to people in the world, both reflecting our material world and the art within it. At the time of his 2015 LACMA retrospective, Noah Purifoy - Junk DadaPurifoy described in an interview with C. Ian White the primacy of the found object in his practice, and the influence of Duchamp. According to Purifoy, Duchamp left us "with the idea that the found object was OK like it was. We didn't have to do much to it to make it a part of the creative process, so because of Duchamp, I maintained the intergrity of the piece, the object I work with, and enable the piece to maintain its originality. You can tell that this is a broom handle, this is a skillet, or this is a coffepot." Sirmans/Lipschutz p. 107.
Swann Auction Galleries
Sep. 29, 2023
NOAH PURIFOY (1917-2004) Totem assemblage construction consisting of wood,
Est: $60,000 - $80,000
NOAH PURIFOY (1917-2004) Totem assemblage construction consisting of wood, nails, pipes, tambourines, shoe stretchers, trolley wheels, found metal objects, felt, rhinestones and leather 56 x 19 x 16 in. (142.2 x 48.3 x 40.6 cm.)
Christie's
Jun. 21, 2023
Noah Purifoy, A Book Flown VI
Est: $7,000 - $9,000
Noah Purifoy A Book Flown VI 1995 lead with brass hinges and lock 11.5 h x 12 w x 1.75 d in (29 x 30 x 4 cm) Etched signature and date to lower edge 'Noah Purifoy 1995'. Provenance: Acquired directly from the artist in 1995 by the present owner This work will ship from Los Angeles, California.
Los Angeles Modern Auctions
Oct. 06, 2022
NOAH PURIFOY (1917 - 2004) Untitled (Domino Toaster).
Est: $7,000 - $10,000
NOAH PURIFOY (1917 - 2004) Untitled (Domino Toaster). Assemblage of tiled white dominoes on a toaster, 1996. Approximately 194x222x146 mm; 7 7/8x9 1/2x5 3/4 inches. Engraved signature and date on a white metal plaque, on the side with the temperature control. Signed and dated in ink on the underside. Provenance: gift from the artist, the Xavier Cázares Cortéz Family Collection. This assemblage by Noah Purifoy is from his Domino Toaster series, where Puriofy reused Proctor-Silex toasters and tiles them with dominos to give new meaning. Championing a Duchampian approach, Purifoy recycled and assembled discarded, everyday items, making ordinary, utilitarian objects into works of fine art.
Swann Auction Galleries
Oct. 06, 2022
NOAH PURIFOY (1917 - 2004) Untitled.
Est: $12,000 - $18,000
NOAH PURIFOY (1917 - 2004) Untitled. Assemblage of wood and other found objects encased in a metal and glass container, 1994. Approximately 660x444x152 mm; 26x17 1/2x6 inches. Engraved signature and date on a metal plaque, lower right. Provenance: acquired directly from the artist, private collection, Arizona. Exhibited: Desert Tombstone Exhibition, Rachel Lozzi Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, May - June 1995.
Swann Auction Galleries
Oct. 06, 2022
NOAH PURIFOY (1917 - 2004) Untitled (30 Cans).
Est: $25,000 - $35,000
NOAH PURIFOY (1917 - 2004) Untitled (30 Cans). Assemblage of 30 oil cans in a wooden box, 1995. 1225x622x69 mm; 48 1/4x24 1/2x2 3/4 inches. Engraved signature and date on a metal plaque, lower right. Signed and dated in ink, frame back. Provenance: gift from the artist, the Xavier Cázares Cortéz Family Collection. Used oil cans are the essential component of this striking assemblage by Noah Purifoy. This modernist construction epitomizes the bold spirit of Purifoy's Junk Dada vision. Purifoy utilized found objects to convey messages to people in the world, both reflecting our material world and the art within it. At the time of his 2015 LACMA retrospective, Noah Purifoy - Junk DadaPurifoy described in an interview with C. Ian White the primacy of the found object in his practice, and the influence of Duchamp. According to Purifoy, Duchamp left us "with the idea that the found object was OK like it was. We didn't have to do much to it to make it a part of the creative process, so because of Duchamp, I maintained the intergrity of the piece, the object I work with, and enable the piece to maintain its originality. You can tell that this is a broom handle, this is a skillet, or this is a coffepot." Sirmans/Lipschutz p. 107.
Swann Auction Galleries
Jun. 04, 2022
Noah Purifoy, 1917-2004, Adinkra Symbols (series of 10)
Est: $10,000 - $15,000
Noah Purifoy 1917-2004 Adinkra Symbols (series of 10) c. 1970 torch-cut iron panels (set of 10) 24 x 24 inches (each) unsigned These were displayed outdoors as intended. The symbols represented are: Gye Nyame (except for God); Nyame Biribi Wo Soro (God is in the heavens); Nkyinkyim (twistings); Nsoromma (child of the heavens); Nkonsonkonson (chain links); Ananse Ntontan (the spider's web); Sankofa (return and get it); Wawa Aba (seed of the Wawa tree); Akoma (the heart); Dwennimmen (ram's horns). Adinkra symbols are from Ghana and represent concepts or aphorisms. They have a decorative function but also represent objects that encapsulate evocative messages conveying traditional wisdom, aspects of life, or the environment. Provenance: private collection, Los Angeles
Black Art Auction
May. 22, 2022
NOAH PURIFOY (1917 - 2004): QUESTION
Est: $10,000 - $15,000
2002; copper and radiator parts on acrylic-painted canvas laid to wood panel; signed and dated lower right; unframed; 60 x 30 inches
Abell Auction
Mar. 06, 2022
NOAH PURIFOY (1917 - 2004)
Est: $3,000 - $5,000
River Boat; mixed media assemblage, including burnt wood, acrylic, stencil and color felt, on plywood board; unsigned; titled to label verso; Provenance: The Freund Estate, Beverly Hills, CA; 11 x 14 inches sight; 15 x 19 inches frame
Abell Auction
Oct. 07, 2021
NOAH PURIFOY (1917 - 2004) The Flag.
Est: $15,000 - $25,000
NOAH PURIFOY (1917 - 2004) The Flag. Cloth assemblage, 2001. Approximately 850x635mm; 33 1/2x25 inches; 1035x831 mm; 40 3/4x32 3/4 inches (framed under acrylic). Signed and dated in ink, lower right on the mount. Provenance: collection of the artist; private collection, California. This assemblage is made of deconstructed strips of the American flag; according to the owner, Noah Purifoy stated this artwork was his response to the attack on 9/11 and the spirit of unity that brought the nation together afterward.
Swann Auction Galleries
May. 14, 2021
NOAH PURIFOY (1917-2004) For Lady Bird fabric, leather, feather, button, zi
Est: $30,000 - $50,000
NOAH PURIFOY (1917-2004) For Lady Bird fabric, leather, feather, button, zipper, burlap, wood assemblage and acrylic on panel 72 ¼ x 28 ¼ x 6 in. (183.5 x 71.8 x 15.2 cm.)
Christie's
Dec. 10, 2020
NOAH PURIFOY (1917 - 2004) For Louise Nevelson.
Est: $10,000 - $15,000
NOAH PURIFOY (1917 - 2004) For Louise Nevelson. Assemblage of wood in a constructed wooden box, 1994. 603x444x133 mm; 23 3/4x17 1/2x5 1/4 inches. Signed and dated in ink, lower left. Provenance: acquired directly from the artist; private collection, Califorinia (1995). This charming homage to Louise Nevelson is an inspired, late career assemblage by Noah Purifoy. Here Purifoy has assembled found wood pieces to mimic her famous wood assemblages of the late 1960s and early 1970s - but without painting them her signature color black. The same year Purifoy was an artist in residence at the J. Paul Getty Center for the History of Art and Humanities in Santa Monica, CA, where he created the commmission Suffer the Little Children to Come unto Me. While no personal relationship is known between the two artists, aesthetic similarities are evident in diverse Purifoy wood constructions, from his Untitled (Bed Headboard), 1958 to Black, Brown and Beige (After Duke Ellington), 1989. Julia Bryan-Wilson brought the two together with an analysis of their symbiotic relationship in her 2017 article Keeping House with Louise Nevelson. Bryan-Wilson cites their backgrounds in design and their use of related materials and techniques: "both Purifoy and Nevelson used wood to hammer out and reconceive of relations as they trespassed the line between furniture and sculpture." 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. The Watts rebellion in 1965 changed Purifoy's life and art. At the time Noah Purifoy and fellow artist Judson Powell ran the art education program at the newly created Watts Towers Arts Center. Together Powell and Purifoy organized Junk Art: 66 Signs of Neon, a seminal exhibition at the University of Southern California. They exhibited 66 art works made from found debris and junk - all detritus left in the wake of the Watts riots - alongside photographic documentation. Purifoy and fellow artist John Outterbridge are largely credited for influencing a whole generation of Californian assemblage artists from David Hammons to Senga Nengudi. Purifoy worked in public art programs of the California Arts Concil through the late 1980s - he initiated programs such as 'Artists in Social Institutions,' which brought art into the state prison system. Then in 1989, he moved to a large compound near Joshua Tree, California, in the Mojave Desert, where for the next 15 years he created a ten-acre site of large-scale assemblage sculpture. Today the entire site is preserved in a cultural center and museum, run by the artist's non-profit foundation.
Swann Auction Galleries
Oct. 08, 2019
NOAH PURIFOY (1917 - 2004) Untitled (Zulu series).
Est: $35,000 - $50,000
NOAH PURIFOY (1917 - 2004) Untitled (Zulu series). Mixed media assemblage, including leather, felt, suede, fur, wood and various found objects, including wooden spoons and a pipe, on board, circa 1970-71. Approximately 914x838x127 mm; 36x33 1/4x5 inches. From the artist's Zulu series. Provenance: acquired directly from the artist; Jonathan Ahearn, Claremont, CA (circa 1970-71); the estate of Jonathan Ahearn; private collection (2008). Jonathan Ahearn was a student in the MFA program of Claremont College when he was introducted to Noah Purifoy, and acquired the work shorlty after a visit to Purifoy's studio at the Watts Towers in Los Angeles. This wonderful construction by Noah Purifoy is an excellent example of his important work in assemblage sculpture. By 1970, Purifoy had expanded his range of assemblage material to include diverse, organic materials such as leather, feathers, brass and copper. In this period Purifoy incorporated interior materials and construction for more abstract designs of his collages of found objects. With a similar composition and materials, this work is closely related to Zulu #4 in the collection of the Oakland Museum of California. Exhibited in the important exhibition Now Dig This! Art and Black Los Angeles 1960–1980, Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, Oct 2, 2011 - Jan 8, 2012, it is described as "part of a larger body of work referencing Zulu culture, Noah Purifoy has employed the assemblage process to create a highly ornate, textured, and abstract low-relief sculpture." An earlier work from the series, Zulu #2, 1968, is listed in Purifoy's hand-written index and photographed on page 12 of his scrapbook "Join for the Arts". Noah Purifoy grew up in Alabama - he recevied his 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 was not only the first African-American student to be enrolled full-time, he was a mature student - receiving a BFA in 1956, just before turning forty. The Watts rebellion in 1965 changed Purifoy's life and art. At the time, Noah Purifoy and fellow artist Judson Powell ran the art education program at the newly created Watts Towers Arts Center. The Watts Towers center had grown as a sculpture garden around the towers of assemblage by the eccentric Italian-American Simon Rodia whom began building them in the 1920s. Together Powell and Purifoy organized Junk Art: 66 Signs of Neon, a seminal exhibition at the University of Southern California. They exhibited 66 artworks made from found debris and junk - all detritus left in the wake of the Watts riots - alongside photographic documentation. From this period, Purifoy created an important body of work, alongside with his fellow artist John Outterbridge, that is largely credited for influencing a whole generation of Californian assemblage artists from David Hammons to Senga Nengudi. Noah Purifoy papers, 1935–1998, Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution; Sirmans/Lipschutz pp. 68-69.
Swann Auction Galleries
Oct. 04, 2018
NOAH PURIFOY (1917 - 2004) Untitled (66 Signs of Neon).
Est: $30,000 - $40,000
NOAH PURIFOY (1917 - 2004) Untitled (66 Signs of Neon). Mixed media assemblage, including burnt wood, acrylic, stencil and color felt, on plywood board, circa 1966. 1422x914 mm; 56x36 inches. Provenance: the estate of Gerald Moyer and Lyle Clark, Manhattan Beach, CA; private collection, California. This striking and colorful assemblage is an outstanding example of Noah Purifoy's work in assemblage. It includes charred plywood and stencilled letters found in many of the works from his important exhibition 66 Signs of Neon. Noah Purifoy grew up in Alabama - he earned 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 was not only the first African-American student to be enrolled full-time, he was a mature student - receiving a BFA in 1956, just before turning forty. The Watts Rebellion in August of 1965 changed Purifoy's life and art. At the time, Noah Purifoy and fellow artist Judson Powell ran the art education program at the newly created Watts Towers Arts Center where Purifoy was the director. The Watts Towers center had grown as a sculpture garden around the towers of assemblage by the eccentric Italian-American Simon Rodia whom began building them in the 1920s. In 1966, Purifoy and Powell co-founded the Watts Summer Festival and then quickly organized Junk Art: 66 Signs of Neon in commemoration of the Watts Rebellion in only 30 days. The exhibition included 66 art works, all assemblages made from debris and detritus of the Watts uprising, including burned wood, windows, doors and railroad ties - collaborating with several other artists, alongside photographic documentation. The exhibition went from the Watts Center to UCLA and then traveled widely until 1972. Sirmans/Lipschutz p. 80
Swann Auction Galleries
Apr. 06, 2017
NOAH PURIFOY (1917 - 2004) Untitled (Wall Piece Assemblage).
Est: $20,000 - $30,000
NOAH PURIFOY (1917 - 2004) Untitled (Wall Piece Assemblage). 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.
Swann Auction Galleries
Jun. 10, 2014
NOAH PURIFOY (1917 - 2004) Untitled (Standing Figure).
Est: $60,000 - $90,000
NOAH PURIFOY (1917 - 2004) Untitled (Standing Figure). Assemblage construction, including wood, wood veneer, and leather, circa 1968-70. Approximately 1308x381x305 mm; 51 1/2x15x12 inches. Provenance: acquired directly from the artist; Artis Lane, Los Angeles. The sculptor Artis Lane acquired this artwork from Noah Purifoy just before his move to Joshua Tree in 1989. She recalled - "I purchased the sculpture directly from the artist right before his move to Joshua Tree in 1989. Noah Purifoy was closing his L.A. studio in preparation for this move. John Outterbridge and I went to see his L.A. studio before it closed. I purchased the sculpture then and it has been in my possession since that time." Exhibited: Places of Validation, Art and Progression, California African American Museum, Los Angeles, CA, September 29, 2011 - April 1, 2012. This striking figurative sculpture is an outstanding example of Noah Purifoy's important work in assemblage, and is the first significant work of the artist to come to auction. By 1970, Purifoy had expanded his range of assemblage material to include such diverse, organic materials such as leather, feathers, brass and copper. The enigmatic female figure, with leather breasts mounted on her flanks, and a dense decorative surface, reflects both the assemblage aesthetic and early Surrealist sculpture. Noah Purifoy had grown up in Alabama - he graduated with an undergraduate degree from Alabama State Teachers College in 1943, a graduate degree from Atlanta University in 1948. Noah Purifoy moved to Los Angeles in 1953 to study at the Chouinard Art Institute. Purifoy was not only the first African-American student to be enrolled full-time, he was a mature student - receiving a BFA in 1956, just before turning forty. The Watts rebellion in 1965 changed Purifoy's life and art. At the time Noah Purifoy and fellow artist Judson Powell ran the art education program at the newly created Watts Towers Arts Center. The Watts Towers center had grown as a sculpture garden around the towers of assemblage by the eccentric Italian-American Simon Rodia whom began building them in the 1920s. Together Powell and Purifoy organized Junk Art: 66 Signs of Neon, a seminal exhibition at the University of Southern California. They exhibited 66 art works made from found debris and junk - all detritus left in the wake of the Watts riots - alongside photographic documentation. From this period, Purifoy created an important body of work, alongside with his fellow artist John Outterbridge, that is largely credited for influencing a whole generation of Californian assemblage artists from David Hammons to Senga Nengudi. Purifoy worked in public art programs of the California Arts Concil through the late 1980s - he initiated programs such as 'Artists in Social Institutions,' which brought art into the state prison system. Purifoy then moved to a large compound near Joshua Tree, California, in the Mojave desert, where over the last 15 years of his life he created a ten-acre site of large-scale assemblage sculpture. Today the entire site is preserved in a cultural center and museum, run by the artist's non-profit foundation.
Swann Auction Galleries