Transformation - Victoria Taylor

About Victoria Taylor

Victoria Taylor’s artistic journey is both remarkable and tragic.

She married fellow artist Ivor Abrahams, one of London’s most celebrated artists of the 1970s. Yet, with a young baby to care for, her own career faltered, overshadowed by her husband’s fame.

Later, she moved to the seaside town of Deal, where she continued to paint privately while also playing violin in a local band. Her artworks often reflected difficult and deeply personal subject matter connected to her troubled past.

Taylor grew up in Birmingham, leaving an unhappy home at just 14 to attend a local art college. Her considerable talent won her a place at the Royal College of Art (1965–68), where she studied under renowned tutors, including Sir Peter Blake.

Her personal life was marked by heartbreak. After only four years, her marriage ended, and she lived alone. The greatest tragedy came when her teenage son took his own life at just 16. In the aftermath, she vowed never to show her art again.

Now living in a care home and unable to paint, her final wish is that her early work be shared with the world once more. Taylor-Jones & Son are proud to present her rediscovered art, found by her niece during a house clearance. It has taken three years to prepare this exhibition, and we are delighted to bring Transformation to you.

Art as Transformation

The theme of transformation runs deeply through Taylor’s work, echoing a long tradition of artists who have explored metamorphosis throughout history.

From Ovid’s tales of human-animal change to the earliest cave paintings, transformation has been central to artistic expression. Taylor drew upon this tradition, using animals as mirrors of human identity and emotion. Their watchful eyes often appear as self-portraits — solemn, searching, and revealing the hidden self behind the mask.

For example, in the myth of Io, Jupiter disguises his lover as a cow to conceal her from his wife, Juno. Despite her disguise, Io reveals her true identity by tracing her name in the earth with her hoof. Taylor’s own work reflects this same struggle — the emergence of truth through disguise and transformation.

Her female nudes, bold and confrontational, also challenge the male gaze. They embody both vulnerability and defiant power, confronting the viewer with their unflinching presence.

Through these themes, Taylor created a distinctive and instantly recognisable style — one that speaks of resilience, identity, and the ongoing power of change.