Henry Taylor

the floaters

March 2017 – February 2018

Location

Adjacent to the High Line at West 22nd Street

Henry Taylor is a painter known for his intimate depictions of people, capturing a wide range of subjects that span from his close friends and family, to strangers whose appearances strike him, to celebrities within the African American community. His color-blocked compositions evoke compassion and a sense of shared space, setting the viewer in close conversation with those pictured.

For the High Line, Taylor presents a new version of a self-portrait adapted specifically for its setting on the side of a building at West 22nd Street. The work depicts the artist and a friend “blissed out,” relaxing in a swimming pool at a friend’s house in Palm Springs. Reminiscent of David Hockney’s paintings of Los Angeles swimming pools from the 1960s, the floaters, a title which references the eponymous Detroit R&B group, portrays the artist in a moment of pure, leisurely happiness.

Organized by Cecilia Alemani, Donald R. Mullen, Jr. Director & Chief Curator.

Artist bio

Henry Taylor (b. 1958, Ventura, California) lives and works in Los Angeles. Recent solo exhibitions have been presented internationally at venues including The Mistake Room, Guadalajara, Mexico (2016); MoMA PS1, New York (2012); Santa Monica Museum of Art, Los Angeles (2008); and The Studio Museum in Harlem, New York (2007). Taylor’s work has been included in group exhibitions at institutions including The Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston (2017); Camden Arts Centre, London, United Kingdom (2016); Stedelijk Museum voor Aktuele Kunst, Ghent, Belgium (2016); and Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (2012). His work is featured in the Whitney Biennial, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York (2017).

Support

Special thanks to Colossal Media.

Major support for High Line Art comes from Donald R. Mullen, Jr. and The Brown Foundation, Inc. of Houston. Additional funding is provided by The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. High Line Art is supported, in part, with public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the New York City Council and from the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.