Henry Taylor, I'll Put a Spell on You (2004). Courtesy of Sotheby's.
Henry Taylor, the Los Angeles-based painter adored by curators and critics alike, is the latest artist to join Hauser & Wirth’s rapidly expanding roster.
The artist—who was rumored to have been pursued by a number of top galleries—will continue to work with his longtime Los Angeles-based dealer, Blum & Poe.
“After an incredibly fruitful 10 years of success together, Blum & Poe is pleased, going forward, to continue to do great work alongside Hauser & Wirth,” the gallery’s co-founder, Tim Blum, said in a statement to ARTnews, which first published the news. (A spokesperson for Hauser & Wirth confirmed the new arrangement to Artnet News.)
Taylor often focuses on African American subjects ranging from prominent industry figures in the art world, to celebrities like Miles Davis and Cecily Tyson, to victims of police violence. He is as likely to seek out a subject in the street as he is at a gallery or art fair. (Lucky visitors to his studio are also asked, impromptu, to pose.)
“First of all, I love other people,” he said in a 2017 interview with Cultured magazine. “I love to meet them, and the fact I can just paint them.”
Cheers,
Errol