Michael Taylor was born in Sussex and studied at the Worthing School of Art (1969-70) and Goldsmiths School of Art (1970-73). He has received many awards for his paintings including The National Portrait Gallery Portrait Prize, The Holburne Contemporary Portrait Prize and The Royal Society of Portrait Painters Changing Faces Award. He has undertaken a number of important portrait commissions including from the House of Lords to paint the portrait of the last Lord Chancellor, Lord Falconer. He was recently commissioned by the Hollywood director Wes Anderson to paint a ‘renaissance’ portrait of Boy with apple for his film The Grand Budapest Hotel. The authorship of the painting was kept a closely guarded secret until the film release and has subsequently generated a great deal of press interest in the artist.
