Noah Purifoy Outdoor Desert Art Museum

Although modern art is not always something i love this was worth the side trip while visiting joshua tree.

Noah purifoy outdoor desert art museum. Set in joshua tree california the noah purifoy desert art museum is several acres of open land displaying purifoys assemblage sculptures all created on site between 1989 and 2004. It is amazing what noah purifoy has done with reclaimed materials and just i would consider other peoples trash. He lived and worked most of his life in los angeles and joshua tree california. Noah purifoy 1963 just off of rt 62 near the city of joshua tree california is the home of noah purifory and his outdoor desert art museum of assemblage sculpture.

His 66 signs of neon in line with the postwar periods fascination with the street and its objects constituted a duchampian approach to the fire molded alleys of watts. Artist noah purifoy 1917 2004 moved to the desert to escape because los angeles was just too expensive to live in. Born in snow hill alabama in 1917 noah purifoy lived and worked most of his life in los angeles and joshua tree california where he died in 2004. Purifoy august 17 1917 march 5 2004 was an african american visual artist and sculptor co founder of the watts towers art center and creator of the noah purifoy outdoor desert art museum.

This is a super interesting outdoor experience. Noah purifoy outdoor museum way out there in the middle of nowhere along a dusty desert road is an unusual collection of artwork. The noah purifoy outdoor sculpture museum is open to the public. This strategy profoundly impacted artists such as david hammons john outterbridge and senga nengudi.

As a founding director of the watts towers art center purifoy knew the community intimately.