David Zwirner is pleased to present works by Bill Traylor (c. 1853–1949) from The William Louis-Dreyfus Foundation and Family Collections.
Organized in collaboration with the Foundation, the exhibition offers a comprehensive look at the artist’s distinctive imagery, which mixes subjects and iconography from the American South with a strong formalistic treatment of color, shape, and surface. As part of the Foundation’s broader philanthropic mission, proceeds from the sales of its artworks will benefit the Harlem Children’s Zone , as well as the Foundation itself.
Cover Image: Bill Traylor, Blue Rabbit Running, 1939–1942
All Bill Traylor artwork is used with permission from Bill Traylor Family, Inc., and The Artistry of Bill Traylor, LLC.
Alabama artist Bill Traylor working under a shade tree in a Montgomery neighborhood, 1946. Photo courtesy of the Alabama State Council on the Arts
Alabama artist Bill Traylor working under a shade tree in a Montgomery neighborhood, 1946. Photo courtesy of the Alabama State Council on the Arts
References:
Kerry James Marshall, “The Beatitudes of Bill Traylor,” in Between Worlds: The Art of Bill Traylor , 2018
Roberta Smith, “The Shape of the World Passing Before His Eyes,” The New York Times, 2013
Charles Shannon, in an interview published in Bill Traylor: His Art, His Life, 1991
Phil Patton, “High Singing Blue,” in Deep Blues: Bill Traylor 1854–1949, 1999
Peter Schjeldahl, “The Utterly Original Bill Traylor,” The New Yorker, 2018
William Louis-Dreyfus, “Bill Traylor: An American Prodigy,” 1997
