Henry Taylor

Known for: expressive figurative painting of Black American life

Henry Taylor worked as a psychiatric technician at Camarillo State Hospital in California for more than a decade before establishing himself as a painter, and the patients, staff, and environments of that experience pervade his work. His large, loose figurative paintings — of Black American life, family gatherings, historical figures, and scenes from the news — are made with a speed and directness that recalls folk art as much as formal painting training. His B Μore sold for $2.9 million at Christie's in 2019.