los angeles
artist
henry taylor
interview by DOROTHÉE PERRET
portrait by DANIEL TRESE
All artworks copyright of the artist
Henry Taylor’s show opens in September at Blum & Poe, New York
Born in Ventura, California, Henry Taylor paints on everything: cigarette packs, detergent boxes, suitcases, wood, furniture, canvas… and he paints almost everyone: waitresses, celebrities, the homeless, politicians, and a lot of African-Americans, often capturing the discrimination they constantly face. He works freely, loosely, easily, and always with great empathy.
DOROTHÉE PERRET — I’ve read that you had a mentor at an early age who gave you direction. You were already drawing a lot.
HENRY TAYLOR — It was my seventh-grade teacher who really sparked my interest in art. She had a lot of books at her house. We didn’t have art books at our house [in Oxnard, California], or anything like that. I was fortunate to have someone like…