Honor Titus Conjures the Upcoming Olympics for Town & Country
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It would be tempting to describe 2021 as a breakout year for Honor Titus. The 31-year-old painter’s first solo show in New York City, “For Heaven’s Sake,” at Timothy Taylor Gallery from January to March, was one of the high points of the winter season. The entire collection, which included vibrant studies of figures at leisure, was quickly swept up by eager collectors. In October the gallery will present new work by the artist in an equally anticipated show at Frieze London.
A good year, but Titus has already been through the business of blowing up, albeit in other genres. From 2011 to 2016 he fronted a Brooklyn-based punk band called Cerebral Ballzy, which made two well-received albums and played memorable high-octane gigs, including opening for bands like the Strokes and Flag. Back then he was also known around the city for his poetry readings and occasional stints as an actor and fashion model for Rag & Bone.
When he wasn’t on tour, Titus, whose father was one half of the 1990s rap duo Black Sheep, worked as a studio assistant for the artist Raymond Pettibon, which was when he began fine-tuning his own painting style. In 2016 he moved to Los Angeles and struck up a formative friendship with the painter Henry Taylor, whom he calls a mentor and at whose eponymous gallery he had a breakthrough show in 2020.
Titus brings a journalist’s eye to his work, including the painting he made for the Summer 2021 issue of Town & Country to accompany our story about the upcoming Olympics. “My intent was to capture the gallantry and grace of the equestrian world and the inherent love between horse and rider,” he says of Golden Bella. “With the five golden rings echoing the Olympic rings as well as victory, this painting allowed me to revel in a (somewhat) simple relationship while also alluding to bigger ideals like success, pride, and distinction.”
Details about Titus’s upcoming London show and other work can be found at Timothy Taylor. Below, two recent paintings by Titus.
This story appears in the Summer 2021 issue of Town & Country. SUBSCRIBE NOW
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