Henry Taylor is showcasing his first major exhibition in France at Hauser & Wirth Paris. FROM SUGAR TO SHIT comprises over 30 works, including recent paintings, sculptures, and installations, providing a comprehensive look at the Los Angeles-based artist’s four-decade long career.
Defined by saturated applications of paint and gestural brushstrokes, Taylor’s work seeks to capture fleeting moments as a way to record a person’s history. While often categorized as a portraitist, Taylor is quick to reject labels, using his practice as a way to reflect his daily experiences — from his mundane processes, the family and friends close to him, as well as the historical and pop cultural references that he draws inspiration from. Recently, the artist was tapped by fellow Angeleno Kendrick Lamar to create a massive fabric backdrop for his Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers tour in Primavera Sound and Lollapalooza.
In preparation for his own show, Taylor was excited to walk the same streets that once played muse for a number of pioneering figures, including Pablo Picasso and Édouard Manet to Josephine Baker. “He [Picasso] got inspiration from here,” said Taylor. “We’re all inspired by the same things, it’s just how we interpret it, I guess.”
Sculpture is one of the focal points of the exhibition, including Part of my past (2022) and Blue Me (2022), which the artist created with found objects, such as bottle caps, tide containers, and toilet rolls, to create a holistic record of the materials that define his daily routine, as well as comment on art historical tropes, such as the assemblages sculptures of legendary French artist, Marcel Duchamp.
FROM SUGAR TO SHIT opened just prior to the latest Paris+ par Art Basel and will be on view until January 7, 2024.
In related news, Pablo Picasso’s Femme a la Montre Painting Sells for $139M USD via Sotheby’s.
Hauser & Wirth
26 bis Rue François 1er
75008 Paris, France
