Introduction

Narrator: Welcome to Henry Taylor: B-Side. 

Henry Taylor was born in 1958 in Oxnard, California. He now lives in Los Angeles. By way of introduction, let’s look at the painting by the exhibition’s entrance—Gettin it Done. Taylor’s title doesn’t tell us who this man and woman are, although he often paints his friends, neighbors, and family. But there’s a real sense of familiarity in the painting. Taylor brings us right up close to these people, as if inviting us to share their feeling of patient endurance. He’s also experimenting with scale here, and leaving much of his brushwork visible. This mix of sympathy, generosity, and artistic exploration are all things you’ll encounter again as you explore this exhibition.

On this audio guide, you’ll hear from Taylor himself, as well as two artists who’ve been inspired by his work, Patrick Martinez and Andrea Bowers.

Taylor is wide-ranging in his depictions of lived experience. Many of his paintings express his great love of family and community. Others reflect his sorrow and anger at acts of racial violence, including depictions of police killings. Several paintings dealing with these heavier topics appear in two rooms later in the exhibition.