Henry Taylor: B Side
Oct 4, 2023–Jan 28, 2024
A Jack Move—Proved It
6
Most often based on iconic photographs of figures who have played a significant role in the larger cultural narrative, these paintings serve as powerful visual symbols of Black accomplishment and aspiration. Historically, portraits have been used to communicate authority, achievement, and social standing. Taylor's depictions of legendary figures within the Black community who have broken barriers and achieved world-changing political, artistic, or athletic success, advance this tradition. In honoring these figures, Taylor signals to the remarkable feats of ambition and overcoming that have inspired him.
Henry Taylor, A Jack Move — Proved It, 2011
Henry Taylor, A Jack Move — Proved It, 2011. Acrylic on canvas, 71 1/4 × 83 3/4 in. (181 × 212.7 cm). Cypres Collection. © Henry Taylor. Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth. Photograph by Joshua White
Jackie Robinson was a sports legend who integrated Major League Baseball in 1947 after more than sixty years of segregation. He played in six World Series with the Brooklyn Dodgers, and was key to the team winning the 1955 World Series championship. Robinson used his fame to advocate for racial equality and social justice. The painting’s title employs a slang term for robbing someone or something—referring in this case to “Jack” Robinson stealing bases in a baseball game. Taylor slyly hints at this double entendre by including a trail of footprints, possibly leaving the scene of a crime, in the painting’s upper left corner.