Philip Alston Willcox Purvis (born 1943), son of

Melvin Purvis Melvin Horace Purvis II (October 24, 1903 – February 29, 1960) was an FBI agent instrumental in capturing bank robbers John Dillinger and Pretty Boy Floyd in 1934. All of this would later overshadow his military career which saw him directl ...

, is an American graphic designer, artist, professor and author.

Biography

He received his BFA in graphic design from

Virginia Commonwealth University Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) is a Public university, public research university in Richmond, Virginia, United States. VCU was founded in 1838 as the medical department of Hampden–Sydney College, becoming the Medical College of Virgin ...

and an MFA in graphic design,

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

. He was an art tutor at The

Royal Academy of Art, The Hague The Royal Academy of Art (, KABK) is an art and design academy in The Hague, offering programs at both the Education in the Netherlands, HBO bachelor's and master's levels, as well as PhD programs. Succeeding the ''Haagsche Teeken-Academie'' (pa ...

, The Netherlands. He currently is an associate professor at

Boston University College of Fine Arts The Boston University College of Fine Arts (CFA) is the performing, cinematic, and media arts school of Boston University. Founded in 1872 with the establishment of the College of Music, it is an institution that trains artists, scholars of th ...

where he has been chairman of the department since September 1982. He served as Director Ad Interim for the School of Visual Arts at the

Boston University College of Communication __NOTOC__ The Boston University College of Communication (COM) is the communication school of Boston University (BU), a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1947, it was the first university in the United States to of ...

(1969); and the

University of South Carolina The University of South Carolina (USC, SC, or Carolina) is a Public university, public research university in Columbia, South Carolina, United States. Founded in 1801 as South Carolina College, It is the flagship of the University of South Car ...

. He has presented lectures at the American Institute of Graphic Arts, the Wolfsonian Foundation at Florida International University, and many other venues. He has written several books. He wrote a biography of his father,

and his feud with

J. Edgar Hoover John Edgar Hoover (January 1, 1895 – May 2, 1972) was an American attorney and law enforcement administrator who served as the fifth and final director of the Bureau of Investigation (BOI) and the first director of the Federal Bureau o ...

, ''The Vendetta: FBI Hero Melvin Purvis’s War Against Crime and J. Edgar Hoover’s War Against Him''.

Published works

Books

As author:
''Posters NL, 100 jaar affiches in Nederland''
(with Cees W. de Jong, Martijn F. Le Coultre), VK Projects, 2007. () * ''

Jan Tschichold Jan Tschichold (; born Johannes Tzschichhold; 2 April 1902 – 11 August 1974), also known as Iwan Tschichold or Ivan Tschichold, was a German calligrapher, typographer and book designer. He played a significant role in the development o ...

: Posters of the Avantgarde'' (with Martijn F. Le Coultre), V&K Publishing, Laren, The Netherlands, 2006. ()
''Dutch Graphic Design''
Thames & Hudson, London, 2006. ()

(with

Philip B. Meggs Philip Baxter Meggs (30 May 1942 – 24 November 2002) was an American graphic designer, professor, historian and author of books on graphic design. His book ''History of Graphic Design'' is a definitive, standard read for the study of graphic ...

) 4th edition, John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken, 2005. ()
''The Vendetta: FBI Hero Melvin Purvis’s War Against Crime and J. Edgar Hoover’s War Against Him''
Public Affairs, New York 2005. ()
''Creative Type: A Sourcebook of Classic and Contemporary Letterforms''
(Co-author) Thames & Hudson, 2005. ()
''H.N. Werkman''
Laurence King, London; Yale University Press, New Haven; Atrium, Amsterdam, 2004 () * ''Graphic Design 20th Century'' (Co-author). V&K Publishing, Blaricum, The Netherlands, 2003 () * ''A Century of Posters'' (Co-author) V&K Publishing, Blaricum, The Netherlands, 2002 () * ''Wendingen 1918-1932'' (Co-author) Princeton Architectural Press, New York; V&K Publishing, Laren, N.H., The Netherlands, 2001 () * ''Dutch Graphic Design: 1918-1945''. Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 1992 () * ''Type: A Visual History of Typefaces and Graphic Styles'', Vol.2, (with Cees W. de Jong and Jan Tholenaar), Taschen, Cologne 2010, () As contributor: * ''Hendrik Nicolaas Werkman and The Next Call'' Massachusetts College of Art Catalogue, September 1994 * "H.N. Werkman: The Calendar as Medium" ''Ploeg Jaarboek'' 2004, (Ploeg Annual 2004) Stichting De Ploeg, Groninger Museum Groningen, The Netherlands, 2005 * "Graphic Design History", "Renewal and Upheaval: Dutch Graphic Design Between the Wars", "H.N. Werkman: The Outsider", Edited by Steven Heller and Georgette Balance, Allworth Press, New York, 2001

Articles

* "In Agris Occupatis, Dutch Design During the German Occupation." ''Print Magazine'', July/August 1996 * "The Typographic Art of H. N. Werkman" ''Print Magazine'', May/June 1995 * "The Extraordinary Signs of Walker Evans", ''Print Magazine'', September/October 1993 * "Renewal and Upheaval, Dutch Design Between the Wars", ''Print Magazine'', November/December 1991

Exhibits

* "Dutch Graphic Design, 1918-1945", The David and Sandra Bakalar Gallery, Massachusetts College of Art, Boston, Massachusetts, September 8 - October 29, 1994 * "Facets of the Same Nature; A Survey of Contemporary Dutch Ceramics", The David and Sandra Bakalar Gallery, Massachusetts College of Art, Boston, Massachusetts, September 8 - October 29, 1994 * "The European Avant Garde Poster: Vintage posters from The Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, and Russia", Boston University Art Gallery, Boston, Massachusetts, October 7 - December 1, 1993

References

External links

Alston Purvis Bio
at Boston University CFA School of Visual arts website
"Graphic Design 20th Century" Book Pictures and Review
{{DEFAULTSORT:Purvis, Alston 1943 births Living people American graphic artists American graphic designers Boston University faculty Academic staff of the Royal Academy of Art, The Hague Virginia Commonwealth University alumni Yale School of Art alumni