Michael Taylor was born in Sussex and studied at the Worthing School of Art (1969-70) and Goldsmiths School of Art (1970-73). He has received many awards for his paintings including The National Portrait Gallery Portrait Prize, The Holburne Contemporary Portrait Prize and The Royal Society of Portrait Painters Changing Faces Award. He has undertaken a number of important portrait commissions including from the House of Lords to paint the portrait of the last Lord Chancellor, Lord Falconer. He was recently commissioned by the Hollywood director Wes Anderson to paint a 'renaissance' portrait of Boy with apple for his recent film, The Grand Hotel Budapest. The authorship of the painting was kept a closely guarded secret until the film release and has subsequently generated a great deal of press interest in the artist.

Four of Taylor's works are in the National Portrait Gallery, London: portraits of the musician Julian Bream, the composer Sir John Tavener, the writer P D James and a self-portrait in pencil. He has been represented by Waterhouse & Dodd for ten years, where he has held two full solo exhibitions and exhibiting at numerous international art fairs. Taylor produces no more than three or four oil paintings a year.