ATLANTA—The Rubell Family Collection has announced that it will donate 109 paintings by south Florida folk artist Purvis Young to Morehouse College. The collection, valued at more than $1 million, is the largest donation ever given to the all male, historically black school.

"We are proud and honored to be able to facilitate the legacy of one of the greatest African American artist of our times," said Mark Coetzee, director of the Rubell Family Collection. Young uses found objects from his Miami neighborhood, Overtown, to create paintings that comment on the poverty, drugs, and crime in his surroundings.

In 2000, the collection purchased the contents of Young's studio, comprising work from 1985 to 1999, with the intention of cataloging the pieces and donating them to public facilities across the country. Northern Trust will sponsor the installation of the paintings at Morehouse.