Taglialatella from A to Z
A is for Andy Warhol
The Father of Pop art, painter of soup cans, and arguably the most commonly recognized name in art history, Andy Warhol—whose silkscreen process revolutionized the fine art world—was one of the first artists Taglialatella Galleries founder, Dominic Taglialatella, began collecting at the turn of the millennium. After shifting his focus from European expressionist painting and modern masters, toward Pop in 2000, Taglialatella became, and remains to be, one of the most important Warhol dealers worldwide.
Andy Warhol
Mao FS.II.97, 1972
B is for Banksy
The mysterious Banksy is one of the most well-known street artists working today, despite his identity remaining largely unknown. In October, 2015 Taglialatella Galleries exhibited “Better in than Out,” a collection of walls, painting, and works on paper created by the elusive street artist.
C is for Charcoal
Robert Longo, one of the key figures of the Pictures Generation in the late seventies and early eighties, is widely known for his photorealistic charcoal works, which reflects and challenges social and political issues in contemporary society. Taglialatella has collected several prints of pivotal works from each of Longo’s major series including The Mysteries, The Monsters, and Men in the Cities.
Robert Longo
Men in the Cities, Tokyo, Seibu Department Stores Ltd. II, 1990
D is for Diamond Dust
Originally used by Warhol to represent luxury and expense, common themes within the Pop artist’s aesthetic project, diamond dust is still commonly used today by contemporary artists such as: Rubem Robierb, Russell Young, and Damien Hirst. The rich medium is applied during the silkscreen process, using glue rather than ink as an adhesive for the diamond grains.
E if for Ellison
In January, 2018 Taglialatella’s Palm Beach location exhibited an extensive collection of Nancy Ellison’s photographs of pop culture icons like Mick Jagger, Grace Jones, Jack Nicholson and Sharon Stone. Ellison, who originally trained as a painter, is known for her color manipulations of black and white images, which often have a sultry, seductive tone.
F is for Fairey
Engaged in the traditions of both Pop and Street Art, Frank Shepard Fairey became a household name in 2008 when his piece Hope (2008), a portrait of President Barack Obama, became a symbol for the democratic party’s campaign that year. The “Obey” motif commonly used in his stenciled, graphic images stems from Fairey’s social commentary on propagandistic practices in the government and media.
G is for Goddess
Lou-Brice Leonard’s captivating sculptural aesthetic is based on his fascination with ancient and prehistoric mythologies, in which Gods were often female, rather than male. Leonard traces the physical origins of his materials in order to produce divine figures that appear to have organically emerged from the earth.
H is for Haring
Keith Haring’s immediately recognizable Neo-Pop, Graffiti style is characterized by the combination of playful, childlike forms that often address more adult, sometime sexual or pessimistic themes. Taglialatella’s expansive collection of Haring’s work from his most prolific years in the eighties reflects the artist’s desire for social action as well as personal expression in his short, but wildly successful career.
Keith Haring
Fertility #5, 1983
I is for Invader
Taking a page from Banksy’s book, Invader has chosen to hide his identity from the public as a way of liberating his art from tradition; Invader digresses from the road of conformity by prohibiting any strictly biographical reading of his work, allowing his pixelated characters to speak for themselves. When the artist’s own image is mediated through a television screen he too chooses to appear pixelated, as exemplified in Banksy’s documentary Exit through the Gift Shop (2010) made by Thierry Guetta aka Mr. Brainwash (who also happens to be Invader’s cousin).
J is for Jean Michel Basquiat
In 1976, Basquiat began spray-painting in downtown Manhattan with friend and fellow artist Al Diaz, always signing his work with the pseudonym SAMO (meaning “Same Old Sh**”). Both his graffiti art and paintings often address social issues and are concerned with non-western forms of knowledge. Basquiat’s work Flexible (1984) depicts a griot (an African story-teller and orator) which displays the artist’s fascination with human anatomy and Black History— elements characteristic of his work.
Jean-Michel Basquiat
Flexible, 1984
K is for KMT
In 2007 Dominic and Sally Taglialatella established the Katherine M. Taglialatella Foundation, a non-profit organization that donates 100% of all proceeds raised to provide scholarships for minority students of single parents attending the Mt. Carmel-Holy Rosary School in East Harlem.
L is for Life is Beautiful
Mr. Brainwash’s signature phrase has been painted, sprayed, sculpted and lit in neon lights on canvases and even spelled across our Chelsea gallery’s kitchen walls. His Life is Beautiful sculptures range in size from monumental structures to miniature cast resin pieces in his most recent Hard Candy series.
M is for Marilyn Monroe
From Warhol to Brainwash to Lawrence Schiller to Russell Young, the list of artists inspired by Monroe’s timeless beauty is endless. The pop culture icon is both an artist and collector favorite, whether produced photographically from various film stills like Marilyn (Roll 2 Frame 2) (1962-2007) by Schiller or in the more graphic-pop style typical of Mr. Brainwash in Diamond Girl (2016).
Lawrence Schiller
Marilyn (Roll 2 Frame 2), 1962-2007
N is for Neon Lights
Blame it on the success of La La Land’s vintage movie-set aesthetic, or the proliferation of neon interior design elements in the past few years, neon lights have recently become as common a medium as paint or bronze. Currently one of the biggest trends of the art market, neon lights have most often been employed in Rubem Robierb’s series Heart and Money Talks. Mr. Brainwash similarly uses the medium to illuminated his most cherished mottos “Follow Your Heart” and “Life is Beautiful.”
O is for Off-White x Jimmy Choo
During NYFW in February, 2018 Jimmy Choo and Off-White, two iconic contemporary fashion labels, celebrated their recent collaboration with a star-studded event held at Taglialatella Galleries. Naomi Campbell, Bella Hadid, Rosie Huntington-Whitley were just a few celebrities in attendance who came out to support their friend and designer Virgil Abloh. In honor of the event, Jimmy Choo additionally made a generous donation to the Katherine M. Taglialatella Foundation.
P is for Painting Playboy
In October 2017, Taglialatella hosted a rather unconventional exhibition of the artist Burton Morris’ recent series Painting Playboy. In addition to sixty-four unique paintings of the iconic magazine’s bunny logo, Morris displayed his Nightstand Portrait (2017) of the late Hugh Hefner. (And there may or may not have been a few Playboy Playmates in attendance opening night…)
Q is for Queen Vic
Banksy’s characteristically sardonic interpretation of the British government comes to its climax in the scandalous and provocative image of Queen Vic (2003), which humorously and unapologetically mocks the English monarch.
Banksy
Queen Vic, 2003
R is for Rubem Robierb
The Brazilian born artist uses familiar symbols of contemporary life to convey complex meanings, which are embedded in even the simplest forms. Taglialatella has had a long relationship with the Pop-inspired artist, displaying works from all of his most recent series including Dream Machine (2017), which Robierb described as “a monument for the dreamers… for those who live and die to make impossible things happen.”
Rubem Robierb
Dream Machine, 2017
S is for Swoon
Born Caledonia Dance Curry, Swoon is another contemporary artist whose work is engaged in the worlds of both Street and fine art. In addition to her artistic production, Swoon is also passionate about her humanitarian work, dedicating her time to several charitable organizations. The artist’s humanist sensibility in apparent in her depiction of intimate moments and relationships in her colorful, figurative woodcut prints.
T is for Tom Wesselmann
A central figure in the Pop movement, Wesselmann’s collage-like screenprints from the seventies and eighties range in subject matter from familiar household objects in his Still Lifes, to more erotic themes in his Nudes, which depict simplified renderings of sexually-charged imagery alongside common possessions, effectively creating an inviting and seductive composition.
U is for Untitled works by Alex Katz
Katz’s infinite number of figurative paintings produced throughout his incredibly long and successful career as an artist represent his vision of the three-dimensional world flattened and simplified to the two-dimensional sphere of painting. Katz’s many “Untitled” paintings and prints depict a wide collection of subjects from his Wife, Ada (2012) to various figures within the art world or faceless crowds of people.
V is for Violins
The artist Arman’s fascination with objects that have an inherent sense of “identity” drew him to a life-long obsession with the violin’s form—although the musical motif is not unique to the work of Arman, being considered by many artists like Picasso for its pseudo-corporeal shape— the large body of work Arman produced inspired by the instrument is significant. His works like Embedded Violins (2004) and Untitled (Melodie) display collections of violins that blur the identifiable lines between consumer products and tools of artistic expression.
W is for Wynwood
Taglialatella’s very own Logan Hicks, whose layered hand-sprayed, stencil paintings have hung in our gallery for years, received the honor this year of Wynwood’s Tony Goldman Lifetime Achievement Award. Hicks’ photorealistic images capture haunting, mesmerizing depictions of crowded street scenes in works like The Story of My Life (2017) and Café Reggio (2017) exhibit the artist’s unique ability of capturing light and energy of everyday scenes of life.
Logan Hicks
Story of My Life, 2016
X is for Xylene Cyanol Dye Solution
Damien Hirst’s characteristic colorful dot painting Xylene Cyanol Dye Solution (2005), part of his Pharmaceutical series, in which each print is named after chemical compounds used in the cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries. Formally, the work attempts to investigate relationships between pure colors, while conceptually speaking to the logic of science and chemistry that Hirst attempts to apply to artistic production.
Y is for Young
The contemporary British artist, Russell Young, is drawn to and influenced by the ideal of the American Dream, in which iconic figures of popular culture like (Mohammad) Ali (2016), Brigitte Bardot (2017), and Marilyn Monroe (2013) symbolize luxury, excess and success. Similarly, in Young’s collection of timelessly idealized figures of beauty in his series Femme Fatale—exhibited in February, 2017 at Taglialatella—the artist explores the palpable connotations of sexuality, desire, and formidable intelligence possible through a mediatized images of notorious women.
Russell Young
Audrey Hepburn, 2017
Z is for Zevs
The French artist’s recognizable liquidated-logo aesthetic, which depicts brand names associated with capitalism and luxury such as Chase Bank, Louis Vuitton and Apple, has made his mark on the art world through various projects that address the logo-centrism of contemporary society. Many of these works can be seen at Taglialatella, exhibiting a collection of Zevs’ work in our Zevs: Liquidated Assets show in September, 2017.
