Robert Taylor – 1946-2024
The name Robert Taylor has been synonymous with aviation art for over a quarter of a century and he is widely regarded as the world’s premier painter of aviation subjects and is certainly the most widely collected artist in the history of the genre.
Robert Taylor lived and worked in Bath all his life and was trained at the Bath School of Art.
He worked with many of the great World War Two pilots to establish both accuracy and drama in his images – most of which have long been considered collector’s items.
He exhibited throughout the US and Canada, Australia, Japan and in Europe. His one-man exhibition at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum in Washington DC is hailed as the most popular art exhibition ever held there. His paintings hang in many of the world's great aviation museums, adorn boardrooms, offices and homes, and his limited edition prints are avidly collected all around the world.
Robert's aviation paintings are instantly recognisable. With uncanny ability, he was able to recreate scenes from the past with a carefully rehearsed realism that few other artists achieve. This was partly due to his prodigious research but also his attention to detail: Not for him were shiny new factory-fresh aircraft looking like museum specimens. His trade mark, flying machines that are battle-scarred, worse for wear, with dings down the fuselage, chips and dents along the leading edges of wings, oil stains trailing from engine cowlings, paintwork faded with dust and grime; his planes are real!
Many of his works were signed by aircrew from the R.A.F., Luftwaffe and U.S.A.F. from Privates to Wing Commanders, heavily decorated for their bravery awards ranging from the Victoria Cross to Knights Crosses and the Medal of Honor and the top scoring Fighter Aces of all sides.
Wincanton Auctions have an impressive collection of Robert Taylor Aviation Artworks for Auction in our 3 day collector’s sale this 27th-29th November 2024.
