Back in January, The Observer interviewed the artist Henry Taylor. We spoke for a long time in the apartment that he was staying at in Queens. Then we went to the Spanish restaurant next door to his building. We were the only people in the restaurant, besides a family finishing a large meal. The matriarch had a diabetic seizure and was taken away unconscious in an ambulance. Then, Mr. Taylor took The Observer back to his apartment, and painted our portrait. That portrait is now hanging at the booth of Blum & Poe, Mr. Taylor’s Los Angeles dealer, at the ADAA Art Show. It is called I Smoke, I Drink, But Mostly I Write.
At the Art Show’s opening gala, The Observer found Tim Blum in his booth at the Park Avenue Armory, where the art fair is held. They are showing a number of Mr. Taylor’s paintings, many of which were painted at his studio at MoMA PS1, where he has had a residency during his mid-career retrospective, which is on view now.
“We’re definitely on the Upper East Side,” Mr. Blum said. “Henry’s definitely on the Upper East Side, as we expected. This is a small intimate, yet formal event, which is why we like it. It’s not groovy. It’s sort of refined. Though, some of these stands, you wonder how they end up in here. But that’s another story. I think most folks know who we are and know what we do, though that can be confusing too. But the point of bringing Henry uptown—there was a reason behind it. And most folks coming through—are confused. Some of them in pleasant ways, some of them in just confused ways. And they’re wondering is this an outsider artist? Is this a guy who was working in the twenties and just hasn’t been seen yet? Who the fuck is this guy? All these kind of basic questions. Some of them just stumble through and stumble out quickly. Some of the other ones are genuinely intrigued.”
The portrait features The Observer, looking a tad glum (it was a dramatic dinner).
“So how much am I worth?” The Observer asked Mr. Blum.
“I think you’re worth 18K.” He turned to an assistant who confirmed the number. The Observer considered this in relation to what he makes in a year. He decided to hit the bar.
A few drinks later—as well as several delicious canapés (seriously ADAA, you are truly killing in this department)—The Observer returned to the booth.
“Michael! You have a really great home,” Mr. Blum said, running up to us. “You were bought by the head of the UTA agency.” UTA, a talent agency based out of L.A. represents Johnny Depp, Harrison Ford, Owen Wilson, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ice Cube and a number of other celebrities. Again, The Observer contemplated this. Earlier that evening, he had lost a button on his blazer. This caused him some turmoil.
“You’re gonna be hanging on the wall at some very important HBO writers’ meetings,” Mr. Blum said.
In the end, The Observer could not help but smile.
