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Santa Monica Museum of Art Presents Al Taylor Wire Instruments and Pet Stains

The Santa Monica Museum of Art presents Al Taylor: Wire Instruments and Pet Stains on display January 21–April 16, 2011.

This exhibition is the first American survey of drawings and three dimensional constructions by Al Taylor (1948–1999). It will feature two major series, Wire Instruments (1989–1990) and Pet Stains (1989– 1992). Taylor’s drawings often inspired the development of his three dimensional works, defined by him as “drawing in space.” Fashioned from such simple elements as wooden broomsticks, wire, carpentry remnants, and other ephemera, his constructions offer a multitude of distinct points of view.

Born in Springfield, Missouri, Taylor studied at the Kansas City Art Institute and moved to New York in 1970, where he lived and worked until his death. For many years Taylor worked as gallery assistant to Robert Rauschenberg, where he met his future wife Debbie, and was acquainted with such burgeoning luminaries as James Rosenquist, Cy Twombly, and Brice Marden. Although these relationships nourished Taylor’s abundant talent, his future work was inspired but not defined by these friendships.

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