One Art Space Honors Black History Month With a Rare Exhibition of Unseen Purvis Young Works

For Black History Month 2026, One Art Space is presenting a landmark exhibition dedicated to the work of Purvis Young, bringing several of the artist’s paintings to New York for the first time. On view throughout February, the exhibition offers an intimate and timely look at Young’s emotionally direct visual language and enduring commitment to social reflection, compassion, and hope.

Timed to coincide with the 100th year of Black History Month, the exhibition situates Young’s work within a broader cultural conversation while allowing his paintings to speak on their own terms. His imagery, often populated by angels, symbolic figures, and gestural marks, carries a sense of urgency that feels both personal and universal.

Curated by MaryAnn Giella McCulloh, the exhibition centers on Young’s instinctive approach to storytelling through paint. His compositions are spare yet charged, balancing rawness with moments of lyricism. The works on view underscore a recurring theme across his career: a belief in healing and the possibility of a more humane future, even when responding to the world’s wounds.

Young’s practice has long been recognized for its emotional clarity and moral weight. His paintings have entered the collections of institutions including The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Smithsonian American Art Museum, and Whitney Museum of American Art, cementing his legacy as one of the most significant American artists of his generation.

The exhibition launch drew a wide cross-section of artists, collectors, and supporters of the gallery, reflecting the communal spirit that has long defined One Art Space’s programming. Attendees included MaryAnn Giella McCulloh, Mei Fung, Billy McCulloh, Madison McCulloh, Grace Ji, Seong Kim, Shadesha Stevenson, Lauren Mariani, Mike Fredo, Mitch Rodbell, Bill McCulloh, Joe Giella, Iran Barkley, Shirley Giella, Vito Antufermo, Andrew McCulloh, Sabel Pinyol Blasi, Kele McComsey, Sanghee Gil, Lauren Marie, Teddie Sakellaridis, Aris Sakellaridis, Danny McCulloh, John Pannisi, Rowena Husbands, Tra'Lynn Husbands, Selig Sacks, Shirley Faison, and Eric Sacher.

The evening underscored the gallery’s role as a gathering place for dialogue, reflection, and connection within New York’s art community.

Located at 23 Warren Street in Tribeca, One Art Space has spent the past 15 years presenting museum-caliber exhibitions alongside emerging voices. Since opening in May 2011, the gallery has become known for its ability to bridge generations and genres, showing artists such as Al Diaz, Shepard Fairey, and Andrew Salgado alongside historic figures like Purvis Young.

The ground-level space, defined by its glass façade and natural light, invites passersby into an environment where accessibility and seriousness coexist. Its mission remains consistent: to create a place where the giants of art history and the visionaries shaping its future meet under one roof.