Henry Taylor: B Side
Oct 4, 2023–Jan 28, 2024
A Jack Move—Proved It
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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, Untitled, 2016-2022
Henry Taylor, Untitled, 2016-2022. Acrylic on canvas, 131 1/2 × 72 × 1 3/4 in. (334 × 182.9 × 4.4 cm). Collection of Angella and David Nazarian. © Henry Taylor. Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth. Photograph by Jeff McLane
This painting depicts the civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. in a moment of leisure, tossing a football with four children. The football’s upward trajectory might allude to King’s famous pronouncement that “the arc of the moral universe bends toward justice,” while the ominous presence of three white men in the distance may hint at the ever-present threat of violence faced by Black Americans.