High Line Presents Henry Taylor THE FLOATERS

Presented by Friends of the High Line, High Line Art is pleased to announce a new High Line Commission by Los Angeles-based artist Henry Taylor. Titled the floaters, this large-scale mural will be hand-painted by a professional sign company on the wall of a building overlooking the High Line at West 22nd Street, and will be visible from the park as well as the street below. Previously, this location presented works by Barbara Kruger (2016), Kerry JameS Marshall (2015), and Ed Ruscha (2014). Taylor's commission will be on view from March 17, 2017 through March 2018.

Henry Taylor is a painter known for his intimate depictions of people, capturing a wide range of subjects that span from his close friends and family, to strangers whose appearances strike him, to celebrities within the African American community. His color-blocked compositions evoke compassion and a sense of shared space, setting the viewer in close conversation with those pictured.

For the High Line, Taylor presents a new version of a self-portrait adapted specifically for its setting on the side of a building at West 22nd Street. The work depicts the artist and a friend "blissed out," relaxing in a swimming pool at a friend's house in Palm Springs. Reminiscent of David Hockney's paintings of Los Angeles swimming pools from the 1960s, the floaters, a title which references the eponymous Detroit R&B group, portrays the artist in a moment of pure, leisurely happiness.

Cecilia Alemani, the Donald R. Mullen, Jr. Director & Chief Curator of High Line Art says, "We're excited to host Taylor's first ever public art work on the High Line. Through his portraits, Taylor brings us into his own personal circle in Los Angeles of neighbors, friends, and idols. His use of color and method of arranging shapes elevate the everyday into another majestic realm. With the floaters, Taylor brings a slice of laidback West Coast living to the bustling streets of New York City."

ABOUT THE ARTIST
Henry Taylor (b. 1958, Ventura, California) lives and works in Los Angeles. Recent solo exhibitions have been presented internationally at venues including The Mistake Room, Guadalajara, Mexico (2016); MoMA PS1, New York (2012); Santa Monica Museum of Art, Los Angeles (2008); and The Studio Museum in Harlem, New York (2007). Taylor's work has been included in group exhibitions at institutions including The Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston (2017); Camden Arts Centre, London, United Kingdom (2016); Stedelijk Museum voor Aktuele Kunst, Ghent, Belgium (2016); and Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (2012). His work is featured in the Whitney Biennial, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York (2017).

ABOUT HIGH LINE ART
Presented by Friends of the High Line, High Line Art commissions and produces public art projects on and around the High Line. Founded in 2009, High Line Art presents a wide array of artwork including site-specific commissions, exhibitions, performances, video programs, and a series of billboard interventions. Curated by Cecilia Alemani, the Donald R. Mullen, Jr. Director & Chief Curator of High Line Art, and produced by Friends of the High Line, High Line Art invites artists to think of creative ways to engage with the uniqueness of the architecture, history, and design of the High Line and to foster a productive dialogue with the surrounding neighborhood and urban landscape.

Major support for High Line Art comes from Donald R. Mullen, Jr. and The Brown Foundation, Inc. of Houston. Additional funding is provided by The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. High Line Art is supported, in part, with public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the New York City Council and from the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.

For further information on High Line Art, please visit art.thehighline.org.

ABOUT FRIENDS OF THE HIGH LINE
Friends of the High Line raises 98% of the High Line's annual budget. Owned by the City of New York, the High Line is a public park maintained, operated, and programmed by Friends of the High Line, in partnership with the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation.

(Photo Credit: Henry Taylor)