Artist Purvis Young files suit against former manager

Purvis Young confirms that he has filed a lawsuit against former business manager, Martin Siskind in Miami-Dade Circuit Court on February 8th, 2007. Young is being represented by Richard Zaden, Esq, principal of Seiler, Sautter, Zaden, Rimes & Weihe. The suit challenges Siskind stating – despite repeated requests – that Siskind failed to provide Young with an accounting of sales, did not release profits to Young and did not provide proof of funds in safe keeping for Young. The suit also requests the return of 100% of Young’s artwork as Young’s rightful property. Additionally, the suit asserts that once Young was sedated, pending his recent kidney transplant at Jackson Memorial Hospital, Siskind changed the locks at both Mr. Young’s studio and warehouse in Miami. This action thus prevented Young’s representatives from gaining entry, selling artwork and continuing the natural course of business on Young’s behalf. Siskind has, via his attorney, James Sammataro, filed an action requesting the courts to appoint a guardian to oversee Young’s affairs and to declare Siskind owner of 50% of Young’s work. The competency hearing is set for April 3rd, 2007. On January 19th, 2007, Young had a “Notice of Revocation of Business Ventures and Demand for an Accounting” delivered to Siskind which formally ended their previous verbal agreement, which had permitted Siskind to serve as Young’s agent. Simultaneously, Young named Leon Rolle as his business representative from that date forward. Mr. Young is recuperating well at an undisclosed Miami location and remains under the care of a team of experts including Dr. George W. Burke who performed the 6-hour kidney transplant surgery. Today, Young’s work is in more than 60 public collections and numerous private ones, in 2006 alone he had six exhibitions. His work hangs in The Bass Museum of Art, American Folk Art Museum, The Corcoran Gallery of Art, High Museum of Art, Lowe Art Museum, Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, New Orleans Museum of Art, Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Smithsonian American Art Museum among many others. For more information, please visit iwww.purvisyoung.com