Michael Taylor is a figurative painter, who has been producing his carefully and thoughtfully composed oil paintings since he left Goldsmith's College School of Art, in 1973.
His portraits are well known for their insight and intensity — images of many of these works may be found on this site. Winner of the prestigious John Player Award (now BP Portrait Award), Michael has three portrait paintings and one pencil drawing in the National Portrait Gallery (London) collection. His work can also be found in many notable institutional and private collections.
I will be showing my new portrait of Rodney Williams at this year’s Royal Society of Portrait Painters annual exhibition at the Mall Galleries, London. The commission came just at the tail end of the second lockdown, so I naturally welcomed the chance to engage with the outside world again, and paint someone other than myself or Caroline!
On May 21st photographer Alistair Morrison and I will be giving a talk about our recent Sit for me sitting for you project at the Mall Galleries, where my portrait of him is currently on display as part of the Royal Society of Portrait Painters annual exhibition.
This year I shall be exhibiting Portrait of the Photographer with Seated Girl at the Royal Society of Portrait Painters annual exhibition at the Mall Galleries.
Portrait photographer Alistair Morrison approached me last year with a proposal to collaborate on a Sit for me sitting for you project to be entitled Portrait of the Artist through the Artist's eyes.
Figure with Box is currently on display at the Royal Society of Portrait Painters annual exhibition at the Mall Galleries, London, where it was awarded the Smallwood Architects Prize for 'contextual portraiture'.
The National Portrait Gallery's drawing, Self Portrait (in memory of my father), is to be shown as part of an exhibition devoted to self portraiture at Turner Contemporary, Margate. Opening on 25th January, and organized jointly with the NPG, 'Self: Image and Identity: Self-portraiture from Van Dyck to Louise Bourgeois' is being staged to showcase their newly acquired Van Dyck self portrait.
Film director Wes Anderson approached me in 2012 to paint a fictional Renaissance portrait to be titled 'Boy with Apple' for his next film The Grand Budapest Hotel.
The plot pivots around the theft and recovery of a priceless portrait by Renaissance master Johannes Van Hoytl. Intrigued by the script.....
On 12th of November the world lost a truly unique personality and composer, and I lost a very dear friend and neighbour. John had that rare quality of a formidable intellect combined with a child's trusting heart, and the combination could be devastating. I had painted a portrait of this lovely, impossible, brilliant, difficult, kind and often very funny man in 2001 for the National Portrait Gallery, and although we stayed in touch, it was only since ......
Self portrait is currently on display at the National Portrait Gallery in room 40. The drawing is a recent aquisition by the NPG. Also on display at present is Michael's portrait of Sir John Tavener, in room 36. Waterhouse and Dodd are currently offering a drawing from the same series at their....
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