Iconic Contemporary Elephant Painting Giant Tuskers Tom Taylor 20 C. American

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Magnificent large format painting of a herd of elephants.

"Giant Tuskers".

By 20th-21st c. American artist Tom Taylor (b. 1941), … Read more Magnificent large format painting of a herd of elephants.

"Giant Tuskers".

By 20th-21st c. American artist Tom Taylor (b. 1941), also known as Thomas Taylor, Thoss Taylor and the Poet Spiel.

Taylor's most famous painting was also created in a small gouache version to be used for the iconic poster for The Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago, one of the museums bestselling posters.


Biography from the artist: From day one, Taylor was a maverick, a creative force, gay and genetically predisposed to mental illness. As a farm boy, he earned pocket money painting pictures. Then, as he matured, his visual art evolved through his many intellectual and professional lifestyle changes, eventually leading him to a position of considerable national exposure as a graphic wildlife artist under the name Tom Taylor. International licensing agency Determined Productions represented his work and soon his name became the Tom Taylor brand on dozens of products and the royalties provided sweet comfort to an artist who’d been living month to month. Decades later, his “Tuskers” (below) image from that period, first produced as a poster for The Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago, is recalled by nearly everyone who sees it. It proved to be the most lucrative painting of his career.

In 2011, Spiel briefly returned to the name Tom Taylor to produce a new circular series of wildlife images. Along with the comfort provided by quarterly royalties, Taylor gained the freedom to produce off-center art for alternative-space galleries in Denver. He created several late 80s and early 90s one-man shows with a socio/political bent, including the white bread theme, and a major body of paintings known as The Expectations Series, derived from his personal experiences in psychotherapy. Though they sold well, it was his wildlife image licensing that consistently provided the bread and butter.

Taylor has participated in over 200 group and solo shows including Aspen Center for Environmental Studies, Aspen, CO.; Born Free Gallery, Evergreen, CO. 1995; Bradford Junior College, Bradford, MA; Brand Library Art Center, Glendale, CA; The Breckenridge Gallery, Breckenridge, CO; Business of Art Gallery, Manitou Springs, CO; California Institute of the Arts, Burbank, CA; Center for Idea Art, Denver, CO; Colorado State University / Pueblo. Pueblo, CO; Corcoran Gallery, Washington, D.C.; Newport Harbor Art Museum, Balboa, CA; Royce Gallery, Cherry Creek, CO; Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey; Sangre de Cristo Arts Center. Pueblo, CO; Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Santa Barbara, CA; Sotheby Park-Bernet/ Houston Museum of Contemporary Art, Houston, TX; University of Colorado, Boulder, CO; University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, Colorado; Wadsworth Atheneum, Harford, Conn.

Acrylic on Masonite.

Signed Thomas W. Taylor '85.

Titled, signed and inscribed on reverse "this image may not be reproduced in any form without the written consent of the artist".

Measures 48" x 36".

Framed size 49 1/2" x 37 1/2".

Excellent condition.

Truly a one of a kind painting of this iconic image. See less