Taylor Simmons - Whitechapel Gallery Art Icon: Charity Online Auction London Wednesday, February 26, 2025 | Phillips
  • Taylor Simmons paintings, prints and drawings present hazy, fluorescent snapshots of everyday life, blending figuration and abstraction into layered, dynamic compositions. Distinct for his neon palette and innovative use of acrylic, oil, airbrush and wax, Simmons constructs fragmented narratives inspired by music, viral videos and found photographs. These elements reflect his upbringing in Atlanta, Georgia and years in New York City, exploring themes of masculinity, youthful play, work and rest. Simmons works depict individuals caught in fleeting moments – chance encounters, forgotten scenes or intimate connections. Figures emerge from and dissolve into hazy backgrounds, weaving ambiguous stories that invite viewers’ interpretation. His tightly framed bodies and vibrant tones create an atmosphere of intensity and excess, balanced by a subtle vulnerability. Grounded in self-analysis, Simmons practice explores the interplay between inherited cultural practices and Western ideals of masculinity, particularly within the Southern Black community. His intuitive process transforms personal introspection into universally resonant works.

     

    Artist portrait. Courtesy of the artist and Public Gallery, London

    Taylor Simmons (b. 1990, Atlanta, USA; lives and works in New York, USA) was included in the Artsy Vanguard 2025. Recent solo exhibitions include 'Hangtime', Public Gallery, London (2025); ‘LIMBO = Living Is My Best Option’, Helena Anrather, New York (2024); ‘Where’s My Hug At?’, SIXI Museum, Nanjing (2023) and ‘Everything All At Once’, Public Gallery, London (2022). His work is in important collections, including X Museum, Beijing; Friedrich Christian Flick Collection, Berlin; Igal Ahouvi Collection, London; SIXI Museum, Nanjing.

    • Provenance

      Donated by the artist and Public Gallery, London

    • Exhibited

      Nanjing, Sixi Museum, Taylor Simmons ‘Where’s My Hug At?’, 15 September-15 December 2023

23

Show Some Leg

signed and dated 'TASimmons 2022' on the reverse
oil and spray paint on canvas
48.3 x 96.8 cm (19 x 38 1/8 in.)
Executed in 2022.

Full Cataloguing

Estimate
£3,000 - 5,000 

Sold

Contact Specialist

Olivia Van Horn
Associate Specialist, Head of Online Sales
+44 7823 791 633
ovanhorn@phillips.com

Whitechapel Gallery Art Icon: Charity Online Auction

26 February - 5 March 2025