Henry Taylor’s Empathic Brushstrokes

Henry Taylor: B Side is on view at the Whitney Museum of American Art until Jan. 28, 2024.

Gettin it done, 2016

If there’s one artist who can interpret the everyday lives of Black humanity and lived experiences, it’s Henry Taylor. The California-born multidisciplinary is now displaying his gallery Henry Taylor: B Side at the Whitney Museum of American Art until Jan. 28, 2024. The gallery is titled after B-Side records, which are often unreleased, more experimental tracks — a correlation of this work.

Henry Taylor: B Side presents various artworks with each one telling a different story or piece of history including The dress, ain’t me, Untitled, Resting, Gettin it done, another Untitled, Huey Newton, A Jack Move—Proved It, Portrait of Steve Cannon, and many more. Taylor’s ability to promptly paint from memory allows him to sometimes make the perfect mistakes. These memorized paintings are envisioned through in-person sittings, archival newspaper clips, and snapshot photos that emit various emotions and moods to the viewer. Through unbound brushstrokes, bold colors, and mystifying details, Taylor is able to bring a wide range of Black culture to life.

Resting, 2011

Some realities of everyday Black life aren’t always positive. In addition to Black love and intimacy, Taylor unfolds American systemic racism through poverty, personal experiences, incarceration, and killings by police in Henry Taylor: B Side. He is also deeply tapped into art history noting the likes of American and European artists like Philip Guston, Max Beckmann, Bob Thompson, and Alice Neel. In addition to paintings, Henry Taylor: B Side includes installations of sculptures, early drawings, painted cigarette packs, and an exclusive installation for this gallery.

Taylor was born in Ventura, a suburb of Los Angeles, and raised in Oxnard. Here, he attended Oxnard Community College and then California Institute of the Arts. During his time at CalArts, Taylor worked as a psychiatric technician at Camarillo State Mental Hospital. Once he graduated in 1995, he became a staple for his paintings in the art community.

You can book tickets for Henry Taylor: B Side here.