Nicholas Taylor Figurative Photography

Jean-Michel Basquiat Photograph by Nick Taylor of Gray: This rare Basquiat photograph was taken from Nicholas Taylor’s well-documented portfolio exploring his friendship with Jean-Michel Basquiat - a friendship which began when both collaborated on the historic New York No Wave band, “GRAY” in the late 1970s; before the two briefly lived together in the East Village. Selections from Taylor's portfolio were most notably exhibited as part of the Basquiat retrospective at London's Barbican in 2017 and have been featured in numerous noteworthy publications on Basquiat. "Basquiat knew funk, jazz and what was up. How many people were equally versed in Miles Davis and Funkadelic, Charlie Parker and Bootsy Collins, Thelonious Monk and the JBs?" (Glenn O'Brien, 'Gray Matters,' GQ, 2011) Archival Inkjet Print. 11 x 14 inches (including borders). Edition of 50. Arrives signed, titled and numbered by Taylor. Excellent condition. Provided directly by artist. Lot 180 is an authorized dealer rep of Nick Taylor. Nicholas Taylor (American, b. 1953) is a renowned photographer and musician. Taylor moved to New York in 1977 to pursue a career as a photographer and it was through the vibrant New York art scene that he came to know the young artist, Jean-Michel Basquiat. It was, in fact, his intimate portfolio of photographs documenting his friendship with Basquiat that rocketed Taylor to fame. The two would collaborate in the No Wave band “Gray” before Taylor launched a successful career as a DJ famous for track-looping (named "DJ High Priest" by Basquiat). His track “Suicide Mode” would later be used in the soundtrack for Julian Schnabel’s 1996 film “Basquiat." Exhibitions: Basquiat: Boom For Real at the Barbican Centre, London (9/21/17- Present) Literature/Catalog Raisonne: Basquiat: Boom For Real (Eleanor Nairne/Dieter Buchart) Jean-Michel Basquiat: King For A Decade (Taka Kawachi) Jean-Michel Basquiat: 1981, Studio of The Street (Diego Cortez) For further history on Basquiat & his group Gray, please see: "Gray Matters," by Glenn O'Brien (GQ magazine, 4/21/11) "We formed a band: Jean-Michel Basquiat and the New York noise underground," The New Statesman, 9/29/17 "Bowie, Bach and Bebop: How Music Powered Basquiat" (New York Times 9/22/17) Glenn O'Brien, "Gray Matters," GQ Magazine April, 2011: "Gray’s approach to music was having heard music, to approach instruments and sound systems the way one would pick up a strange machine and try to intuit its operation and function. Since Basquiat didn’t know guitar technique, it seemed like a good idea to play one with a steel file. Michael Holman discovered that you could achieve a very nice effect by pulling masking tape off the skin of a snare drum... And then there was the clarinet that Basquiat liked to walk around with, that was as much a scepter and wand as wind instrument. This utterly charming 27-track album is chock full of the road not taken, which sounds so right just now. It is refreshingly stripped of flagrant virtuosity but it is conceived brilliantly, played perfectly, and arranged impeccably... If a wine can have notes of chocolate, leather, licorice, and tobacco, then this record can have notes of William DeVaughn, Willie Hutch, Marcel Duchamp, Larry Coryell, the Modernaires, Sergio Mendez, the Tube Bar Tape, Chet Baker, Melvin Van Peebles, Gilberto/Jobim, and Dragnet." Related Categories Beat Bop. Downtown 81. Nick Taylor Michael...

Basquiat photograph by Nick Taylor of Gray: This rare Basquiat photograph was taken from Nicholas Taylor’s well-documented portfolio exploring his friendship with Jean-Michel Basquia...

Basquiat photograph by Nick Taylor of Gray: This work is taken from Nicholas Taylor’s famous portfolio documenting his friendship with Jean-Michel ...

Rare 1979 Photograph of Jean Michel Basquiat This rare Basquiat photograph was taken from Nicholas Taylor’s well-documented portfolio exploring his friendship with Jean-Michel Basquiat - a friendship which began when both collaborated on the historic New York No Wave band, “GRAY” in the late 1970s; before the two briefly lived together in the East Village. Selections from Taylor's portfolio were most notably exhibited as part of the Basquiat retrospective at London's Barbican in 2017 and have been featured in numerous noteworthy publications on Basquiat. Silver Gelatin Print. 1979. 11 x 14 inches Hand singed and numbered in the margins from an edition of 5 A/P's. Very good overall vintage condition, with the exception of some minor signs of handling. Provenance: Obtained directly from artist Lot 180 is an authorized dealer rep of Nicholas Taylor Whilst Basquiat often provided glimpses into his conflicted character through his own art, Taylor’s photograph offers an intimate, and perhaps more honest, portrait from the outside. The clever exploration of light and dark reveals the dichotomies that divided the artist; both his fragile and playful, tender and brazen sides are unveiled. A soft glow is cast across Basquiat’s face, communicating a tenderness and affection that only a close friend could capture. About Nicholas Taylor Nicholas Taylor (American, b. 1953) is a renowned photographer and musician. Taylor moved to New York in 1977 to pursue a career as a photographer and it was through the vibrant New York art scene that he came to know the young artist, Jean-Michel Basquiat. It was, in fact, his intimate portfolio of photographs documenting his friendship with Basquiat that rocketed Taylor to fame. The two would collaborate in the seminal No Wave band “Gray” and live together in the East Village, before Taylor launched a successful career as a DJ famous for track-looping. His track “Suicide Mode” would later be used in the soundtrack for Julian Schnabel’s 1996 film “Basquiat." Taylor has been directly referenced in at least two works by Basquiat and is responsible for first introducing the artist to Madonna before the two dated. Taylor's photographs of Basquiat were recently exhibited at London's Barbican and Frankfurt's Schirn Kunsthalle as part of the landmark Basquiat: Boom for Real exhibition; with Gray (Michael Holman & Nick...

Rare 1979 Photograph of Jean Michel Basquiat This historical work is taken from Nicholas Taylor’s famous portfolio documenting his friendship with Jean-Michel Basquiat - a friendship...

Rare 1979 Photograph of Jean Michel Basquiat This historical work is taken from Nicholas Taylor’s famous portfolio documenting his friendship with Jean-Michel Basquiat - a friendship...

Jean-Michel Basquiat Photograph by Nick Taylor of Gray: This rare Basquiat photograph was taken from Nicholas Taylor’s well-documented portfolio exploring his friendship with Jean-Michel Basquiat - a friendship which began when both collaborated on the historic New York No Wave band, “GRAY” in the late 1970s; before the two briefly lived together in the East Village. Selections from Taylor's portfolio were most notably exhibited as part of the Basquiat retrospective at London's Barbican in 2017 and have been featured in numerous noteworthy publications on Basquiat. "Basquiat knew funk, jazz and what was up. How many people were equally versed in Miles Davis and Funkadelic, Charlie Parker and Bootsy Collins, Thelonious Monk and the JBs?" (Glenn O'Brien, 'Gray Matters,' GQ, 2011) Archival Inkjet Print. 11 x 14 inches (including borders). Edition of 50. Arrives signed, titled and numbered by Taylor. Excellent condition. Provided directly by artist. Lot 180 is an authorized dealer rep of Nick Taylor. Nicholas Taylor (American, b. 1953) is a renowned photographer and musician. Taylor moved to New York in 1977 to pursue a career as a photographer and it was through the vibrant New York art scene that he came to know the young artist, Jean-Michel Basquiat. It was, in fact, his intimate portfolio of photographs documenting his friendship with Basquiat that rocketed Taylor to fame. The two would collaborate in the No Wave band “Gray” before Taylor launched a successful career as a DJ famous for track-looping (named "DJ High Priest" by Basquiat). His track “Suicide Mode” would later be used in the soundtrack for Julian Schnabel’s 1996 film “Basquiat." Exhibitions: Basquiat: Boom For Real at the Barbican Centre, London (9/21/17- Present) Literature/Catalog Raisonne: Basquiat: Boom For Real (Eleanor Nairne/Dieter Buchart) Jean-Michel Basquiat: King For A Decade (Taka Kawachi) Jean-Michel Basquiat: 1981, Studio of The Street (Diego Cortez) For further history on Basquiat & his group Gray, please see: "Gray Matters," by Glenn O'Brien (GQ magazine, 4/21/11) "We formed a band: Jean-Michel Basquiat and the New York noise underground," The New Statesman, 9/29/17 "Bowie, Bach and Bebop: How Music Powered Basquiat" (New York Times 9/22/17) Glenn O'Brien, "Gray Matters," GQ Magazine April, 2011: "Gray’s approach to music was having heard music, to approach instruments and sound systems the way one would pick up a strange machine and try to intuit its operation and function. Since Basquiat didn’t know guitar technique, it seemed like a good idea to play one with a steel file. Michael Holman discovered that you could achieve a very nice effect by pulling masking tape off the skin of a snare drum... And then there was the clarinet that Basquiat liked to walk around with, that was as much a scepter and wand as wind instrument. This utterly charming 27-track album is chock full of the road not taken, which sounds so right just now. It is refreshingly stripped of flagrant virtuosity but it is conceived brilliantly, played perfectly, and arranged impeccably... If a wine can have notes of chocolate, leather, licorice, and tobacco, then this record can have notes of William DeVaughn, Willie Hutch, Marcel Duchamp, Larry Coryell, the Modernaires, Sergio Mendez, the Tube Bar Tape, Chet Baker, Melvin Van Peebles, Gilberto/Jobim, and Dragnet." Related Categories Beat Bop. Downtown 81. Nick Taylor Michael...

'Jean Michel Basquiat Dancing at The Mudd Club', New York City, 1979: This much historic Basquiat photograph was prominently featured in the 2017 Basquiat London retrospective, “Boom...

Rare 1979 Photograph of Jean Michel Basquiat This historical work is taken from Nicholas Taylor’s famous portfolio documenting his friendship with Jean-Michel Basquiat - a friendship which began when both collaborated on the historic No Wave band “Gray." Selections from Taylor's portfolio were most notably exhibited as part of the Basquiat: Boom For Real retrospective at London's Barbican this fall and have been featured in over 10 major publications and documentaries on the artist. Gelatin Silver Print. 1979. 11 x 14 inches Edition of 3 A/P's. Signed, dated and numbered 1/3 in pencil on the recto. Minor surface waving; corner bump on upper right; otherwise very good condition Provenance: Obtained directly from artist Lot 180 is an authorized dealer rep of Nicholas Taylor Whilst Basquiat often provided glimpses into his conflicted character through his own art, Taylor’s photograph offers an intimate, and perhaps more honest, portrait from the outside. The clever exploration of light and dark reveals the dichotomies that divided the artist; both his fragile and playful, tender and brazen sides are unveiled. A soft glow is cast across Basquiat’s face, communicating a tenderness and affection that only a close friend could capture. About Nicholas Taylor Nicholas Taylor (American, b. 1953) is a renowned photographer and musician. Taylor moved to New York in 1977 to pursue a career as a photographer and it was through the vibrant New York art scene that he came to know the young artist, Jean-Michel Basquiat. It was, in fact, his intimate portfolio of photographs documenting his friendship with Basquiat that rocketed Taylor to fame. The two would collaborate in the seminal No Wave band “Gray” and live together in the East Village, before Taylor launched a successful career as a DJ famous for track-looping. His track “Suicide Mode” would later be used in the soundtrack for Julian Schnabel’s 1996 film “Basquiat." Taylor has been directly referenced in at least two works by Basquiat and is responsible for first introducing the artist to Madonna before the two dated. Taylor's photographs of Basquiat were recently exhibited at London's Barbican and Frankfurt's Schirn Kunsthalle as part of the landmark Basquiat: Boom for Real exhibition; with Gray (Michael Holman & Nick Taylor...