Sam Taylor-johnson

Originally a sculptor, Sam Taylor-Johnson began working in photography, film, and video in the early 1990s. The split between being and appearance in situations where the line between interior and external sense of self is in conflict – has always been in the centre of her creative work.

Taylor-Johnson has had numerous group and solo exhibitions, including the Venice Biennale (1997), where she won the Illy Café Prize for Most Promising Young Artist, and was nominated for The Turner Prize in 1998.

Solo exhibitions include Kunsthalle Zurich (1997), Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Humlebaek (1997), Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington DC (1999), Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, Madrid (2000), a retrospective of her work at the Hayward Gallery, London (2002), State Russian Museum, St Petersburg (2004), MCA, Moscow (2004), BALTIC, Gateshead (2006), MCA Sydney (2006), MoCA Cleveland (2008) and the Contemporary Art Museum, Houston (2008).

In 2008, Sam Taylor-Johnson directed the BAFTA and Palme d'Or nominated, Sundance Film Festival winning short film Love You More, written by Patrick Marber and produced by Anthony Minghella.

Her directorial feature film debut came in 2009 with the critically acclaimed Nowhere Boy, a film based on the childhood experiences of The Beatles songwriter and singer John Lennon. Nowhere Boy was nominated for 4 BAFTAs including Best British Film and Outstanding Debut for Sam's direction.

Following a 3 year break, in which she married and focused on her family, Taylor-Johnson is now working on a book and exhibition for CHANEL entitled Second Floor and is in pre-production on her next directorial feature, Fifty Shades of Grey.

Sam Taylor-Johnson was born in London in 1967 and currently splits her time between London and Los Angeles. In 2011 she was made an Order of the British Empire (OBE).