Henri, Robert, 1865-1929

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Painter, illustrator; New York, N.Y.

From the description of Robert Henri letter, 1911 Feb. 8. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 79700794

American artist.

From the description of Robert Henri papers, 1922-1928. (Cornell University Library). WorldCat record id: 63935956

From the description of Robert Henri speedwriting card index, circa 1922-1928. (Cornell University Library). WorldCat record id: 298597773

From the description of Robert Henri diary on fishing, 1926-1928. (Cornell University Library). WorldCat record id: 298597759

From the description of Robert Henri bank records, 1924-1928. (Cornell University Library). WorldCat record id: 298597777

Artist.

From the description of Note of Robert Henri, undated. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 79450870

Robert Henri, American artist and art teacher, author of Art Spirit. He was the son of Theresa Gatewood Lee and Richard H. Lee, and the brother of Frank L. Southrn. His first wife was Linda Craige Henri, and his second wife was Marjorie Organ Henri.

From the description of Robert Henri papers, 1857-1958 (bulk 1886-1929) (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 84410184

From the description of Robert Henri papers, 1857-1958 (bulk 1886-1929). (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 702150507

Painter, instructor; New York, N.Y.

Born Robert Henry Cozad, Cincinnati, Ohio, June 24, 1865. Henri studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, 1886-1888; Academie Julian, Paris, 1888-1891. Leader of The Eight, also known as the Ashcan Group. Influential instructor at the Arts Students League, New York City. Died July 12, 1929.

From the description of Robert Henri papers, 1870-1954. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 77998169

Painter, instructor; New York, N.Y.

Born Robert Henry Cozad, Cincinnati, Ohio, June 24, 1865. Henri studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, 1886-1888; Academie Julian, Paris, 1888-1891. Leader of The Eight, also known as the Ashcan Group. Influential instructor at the Arts Students League, New York City. Died July 12, 1929.

From the description of Robert Henri papers, 1870-1954. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 710018209

Robert Henri, American artist, teacher, leader of The Eight and the Ashcan School, was born in Cincinnati in 1865. Originally named Robert Henry Cozad, he later changed his name because of a family scandal (see note below).

In 1886, Robert Henri was accepted to the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia. There he studied under Thomas Anshutz, who had been a student of Thomas Eakins. In 1888 Henri left the Academy for Paris, where he studied at the Académie Julian and at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts. Returning to the United States, he taught briefly at the School of Design for Women in Philadelphia, before leaving again for Europe, where he lived from 1895 to 1900.

Upon his return, Henri taught at the New York School of Art. It was during this time that he became an influential voice in the American art world, both as an artist and as a teacher. He was elected to the National Academy of Design, the Association of American Painters and Sculptors, and the National Institute of Arts and Letters. In May 1907, he launched the first of many attacks against the art jury system when he withdrew two pictures from the National Academy of Design's annual show for what he termed "an unfair attitude" toward young artists.

Henri was the leader of a group of American painters called The Eight, who exhibited together in 1908. This circle, which included Everett Shinn, John Sloan, Arthur B. Davies, Ernest Lawson, Maurice Prendergast, George Luks, and William J. Glackens, was later absorbed into the Ashcan Group (George Bellows, Edward Hopper, Glenn Coleman, Eugene Higgins, and Jerome Myers). Both groups sought to create an American style of painting, using new approaches to art and its subjects. They advocated the release of American art from what they considered its subservience to European aesthetics, encouraging artists instead to present unidealized depictions of American culture, and the life of the modern city. Henri urged his students to go into the streets to capture the spontaneity and character of the people they encountered, and gained fame himself as a portrait painter; his works include "Young Woman in Black," "Girl with a Fan," and "Himself."

From 1909 to 1912, Henri ran his own school, and from 1915 to 1928 he taught at the Art Students' League in New York. In 1923 he published The Art Spirit, a collection of essays and excerpts from letters, lectures and advice to students, embodying his philosophy of art. In the 1920s he experimented with the theories of color and composition promulgated by Hardesty Maratta, and with the "Whirling Square" theories of Jay Hambidge, who devised a mathematical system of proportion applied to the placement of the subject on the canvas.

In 1898 Henri married Linda Craige. She died in 1905, and in 1908 he remarried, this time a fellow artist, Marjorie Organ. Together, they spent several summers in Santa Fe, New Mexico, inspiring friends George Bellows, Leon Kroll, John Sloan, and Randall Davey to follow suit. The Henris also spent a number of summers in Ireland, where in 1924 they purchased a house on Achill Island, at the extreme western tip of Ireland. In 1928, Henri developed an inflamed sciatic nerve on his last trip back from Ireland, and during this illness it was discovered that he had inoperable cancer of the pelvic bone. He was not told about the cancer, and when he died in July 1929, it came as a surprise not only to the public at large, but to many of his friends.

For more information, see William Innes Homer's biography, written with the assistance of Violet Organ, Henri's sister-in-law: Robert Henri and His Circle (Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1969). Family history note:

Robert Henry Cozad was the son of John Jackson and Theresa Gatewood Cozad. John Jackson Cozad was a professional gambler turned real estate promoter who founded Cozaddale on the outskirts of Cincinnati in 1869, and the town of Cozad, Nebraska three years later. In 1882, tensions with local cattleman erupted into a fight between a drunken cattleman, named Alfred Pearson, and John Cozad. When Pearson attacked Cozad with a knife, Cozad drew his pistol and mortally wounded Pearson. Fearing for their lives, the Cozads sold their land and left town. Pearson died two months later, and although Cozad was eventually cleared of the murder charge, the family decided to move to New York and change their names to rid themselves of connection to the scandal. John Jackson and Theresa Gatewood Cozad changed their names to Richard H. and Theresa Lee. Robert's older brother John changed his name to Frank L. Southrn, and Robert Henry Cozad became Robert Earl Henri, changing his middle name to his surname, and changing the spelling to reflect his French ancestry. Robert later insisted that everyone pronounce his name Hen'rye, in the American manner. To conceal their identity, the Lees said that the two boys were adopted sons and foster brothers. A novel by Mari Sandoz, Son of the Gamblin' Man; the Youth of an Artist (New York: C.N. Potter, 1960), is based on the lives of John Jackson Cozad and Robert Henri.

From the guide to the Robert Henri papers, 1857-1958, 1886-1929, (Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library)

Archival Resources
Role Title Holding Repository
creatorOf Carl Gordon Cutler papers Archives of American Art
creatorOf Alice Klauber letters Archives of American Art
creatorOf Henri, Robert, 1865-1929. Robert Henri speedwriting card index, circa 1922-1928. Cornell University Library
referencedIn Egbert, Donald Drew, 1902-1973. Correspondence with Carl Zigrosser, 1951-1967. University of Pennsylvania Libraries, Van Pelt Library
referencedIn Margery Ryerson papers Archives of American Art
creatorOf Glenn O. Coleman scrapbook and photographs Archives of American Art
referencedIn Kwiat, Joseph J. Correspondence with Carl Zigrosser, 1948-1949. University of Pennsylvania Libraries, Van Pelt Library
creatorOf Los Angeles County Museum correspondence with artists Archives of American Art
referencedIn Maynard Walker Gallery records Archives of American Art
creatorOf Henri, Robert, 1865-1929. Artist file. Brooklyn Museum Libraries & Archives
creatorOf Kruse, Alexander Z., 1888-1972. Papers of Alexander Z. Kruse, 1890-1972 (bulk 1930s-1960s). Huntington Library, Art Collections & Botanical Gardens
creatorOf Robert Henri papers Archives of American Art
creatorOf J.W. Young letters Archives of American Art
referencedIn Natalie Van Vleck papers Archives of American Art
creatorOf Henri, Robert, 1865-1929. Artist file. Brooklyn Museum Libraries & Archives
referencedIn Miscellaneous art exhibition catalog collection Archives of American Art
creatorOf Henri, Robert, 1865-1929. Note of Robert Henri, undated. Library of Congress
creatorOf Frank K. M. Rehn Galleries records Archives of American Art
creatorOf Robert Laurent papers Archives of American Art
creatorOf Bellows, George, 1882-1925. Bellows Papers, 1899-1962 (bulk 1905-1929). Amherst College. Library
referencedIn Perlman, Bennard B. Correspondence with Carl Zigrosser, 1958. University of Pennsylvania Libraries, Van Pelt Library
referencedIn Frank Seiberling research material on George Bellows Archives of American Art
referencedIn American Federation of Arts records Archives of American Art
referencedIn Whitney Museum of American Art artists' files and records Archives of American Art
creatorOf Robert Henri letter Archives of American Art
creatorOf Henri, Robert, 1865-1929. Robert Henri letter to Edward Robinson, 1914. Metropolitan Museum of Art, Thomas J. Watson Library
creatorOf Loretta Hines Howard papers Archives of American Art
referencedIn White, Clarence H., 1871-1925. Robert Henri [graphic]. Archives of American Art
referencedIn Rockwell Kent papers Archives of American Art
creatorOf Milch Gallery records Archives of American Art
creatorOf Blanche Lazzell papers Archives of American Art
referencedIn Everett Shinn collection Archives of American Art
referencedIn Daniel Putnam Brinley and Kathrine Sanger Brinley papers Archives of American Art
referencedIn Mary Fanton Roberts papers Archives of American Art
referencedIn Alice E. Klauber Papers, 1890-1938 San Diego History Center Document Collection
referencedIn Jerome Myers papers, 1905-1939 New York Public Library. Manuscripts and Archives Division
creatorOf John Pickard papers Archives of American Art
referencedIn Shinn, Everett, 1876-1953. Correspondence with Carl Zigrosser, 1945. University of Pennsylvania Libraries, Van Pelt Library
referencedIn Elizabeth McCausland papers Archives of American Art
creatorOf Will Shuster papers Archives of American Art
creatorOf Henri, Robert, 1865-1929. Robert Henri : artist file : study photographs and reproductions of works of art with accompanying documentation 1930?-1990 [graphic] [compiled by staff of The Museum of Modern Art, New York]. Frick Art Reference Library of The Frick Collection
referencedIn Henri, Robert : Biographical file. Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center
referencedIn Bellows Papers, 1899-1962, 1905-1929 Amherst College Archives and Special Collections
referencedIn Walter Pach papers Archives of American Art
creatorOf John Weichsel papers concerning the People's Art Guild Archives of American Art
creatorOf Henri, Robert, 1865-1929. Correspondence with Carl Zigrosser, 1921. University of Pennsylvania Libraries, Van Pelt Library
referencedIn Spewack, Samuel and Bella. Papers, ca.1920-1980. Columbia University in the City of New York, Columbia University Libraries
creatorOf Charles C. Horn letter Archives of American Art
referencedIn Microfilm of the Morgan Russell papers Archives of American Art
referencedIn Russell, Morgan, 1886-1953. Morgan Russell archives and collection, 1884, 1908-1959. Montclair art museum
creatorOf William Gropper papers Archives of American Art
referencedIn Fleming, Roy F., 1879-1958. Roy Fleming collection, 1900-1915. New School for Social Research
creatorOf Robert Henri papers, 1857-1958, 1886-1929 Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library
referencedIn Marian King papers Archives of American Art
creatorOf Mary Fanton Roberts papers Archives of American Art
referencedIn James Earle and Laura Gardin Fraser Papers, 1872-1967, 1900-1955 Syracuse University. Library. Special Collections Research Center
creatorOf Henri, Robert, 1865-1929. Robert Henri diary on fishing, 1926-1928. Cornell University Library
referencedIn Helen Appleton Read papers Archives of American Art
referencedIn Minerva Kohlhepp Teichert letters Archives of American Art
referencedIn Henri, Robert, 1865-1929 : [miscellaneous ephemeral material]. Metropolitan Museum of Art, Thomas J. Watson Library
creatorOf Ala Story papers Archives of American Art
referencedIn Frank K. M. Rehn Galleries records Archives of American Art
creatorOf Saul Zalesch collection of artists' letters and documents Archives of American Art
referencedIn Everett Shinn collection Archives of American Art
referencedIn Walter Elmer Schofield papers Archives of American Art
creatorOf Albert and Marie Sterner letters received Archives of American Art
creatorOf Henri, Robert, 1865-1929. Robert Henri papers, 1922-1928. Cornell University Library
referencedIn William Gropper papers Archives of American Art
creatorOf Henri, Robert, 1865-1929. Robert Henri bank records, 1924-1928. Cornell University Library
referencedIn Microfilm of the Morgan Russell papers Archives of American Art
referencedIn Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, N.Y.). Library. Collection of Macbeth Gallery exhibition checklists and newspaper clippings, 1906-1944 (bulk 1906-1935) Metropolitan Museum of Art, Thomas J. Watson Library
creatorOf Henri, Robert, 1865-1929. Artist file. Brooklyn Museum Libraries & Archives
referencedIn Chapellier Galleries collection of artists' papers Archives of American Art
referencedIn Stuart P. Feld artist files Archives of American Art
referencedIn Russell, Morgan, 1886-1953. Papers, 1913-1950. Museum of Modern Art (MOMA)
referencedIn Sloan, John, 1871-1951. John Sloan manuscript collection, 1871-1997. Helen Farr Sloan Library
creatorOf Rockwell Kent papers Archives of American Art
creatorOf Olaf Brauner letters Archives of American Art
referencedIn Leon Kroll papers Archives of American Art
referencedIn Sidney C. Woodward papers Archives of American Art
creatorOf Mildred Williams letters Archives of American Art
creatorOf Leon Kroll papers Archives of American Art
referencedIn Milch Gallery records Archives of American Art
creatorOf Daniel Putnam Brinley and Kathrine Sanger Brinley papers Archives of American Art
referencedIn Yaddo records, 1870-1980 New York Public Library. Manuscripts and Archives Division
referencedIn Samuel and Bella Spewack Papers, ca.1920-1980 Columbia University. Rare Book and Manuscript Library
creatorOf Mary Butler papers Archives of American Art
referencedIn Mary Butler papers Archives of American Art
Role Title Holding Repository
referencedIn Oral history interview with Ruth Armer Archives of American Art
referencedIn Oral history interview with Rockwell Kent Archives of American Art
referencedIn Oral history interview with Sidney Laufman Archives of American Art
referencedIn Oral history interview with Don Freeman Archives of American Art
referencedIn Oral history interview with Arnold Blanch Archives of American Art
referencedIn Oral history interview with Sidney Laufman Archives of American Art
Relation Name
associatedWith American Federation of Arts. corporateBody
associatedWith Andrews, Mary DeHait. person
associatedWith Anshutz, Thomas Pollock, 1851-1912. person
associatedWith Armer, Ruth, 1896-1977, person
associatedWith Art Institute of Chicago. corporateBody
associatedWith Balfour, Roberta. person
associatedWith Bank of Ireland. corporateBody
associatedWith Bellows, George, 1882-1925 person
associatedWith Blanch, Arnold, 1896-1968. person
associatedWith Bolton, Theodore, b. 1889. person
associatedWith Bouguereau, William Adolphe, 1825-1905. person
associatedWith Brauner, Olaf M., 1869-1947. person
associatedWith Brinley, Putnam. person
associatedWith Butler, Mary person
associatedWith Butler, Mary. person
associatedWith Calder, Alexander Stirling, 1870-1945. person
associatedWith Carnegie Institute. Museum of Art. corporateBody
associatedWith Carson Pirie Scott. corporateBody
associatedWith Casson Galleries (Boston, Mass.) corporateBody
associatedWith Chapellier Galleries (New York, N.Y.) corporateBody
associatedWith Cimino, Emilia. person
associatedWith Cimino, Emilia. person
associatedWith City Art Museum of St. Louis. corporateBody
associatedWith Coleman, Glenn O., 1887-1932. person
associatedWith Combridge & Co., Ltd. (Dublin, Ireland) corporateBody
associatedWith Cozad, John Jackson, 1830-1906. person
associatedWith Cutler, Carl Gordon, 1873-1945. person
associatedWith Davey, Randall, 1887-1964. person
associatedWith Detroit Institute of Arts. corporateBody
associatedWith Domingo, Roberto, 1883-1956. person
associatedWith Drennan, John T. person
associatedWith Egbert, Donald Drew, 1902-1973. person
associatedWith Everett Shinn person
associatedWith Feld, Stuart P. person
associatedWith Fleming, Roy F., 1879-1958. person
associatedWith Frank K.M. Rehn Galleries. corporateBody
associatedWith Fraser, James Earle, 1876-1953 person
associatedWith Freeman, Don. person
associatedWith Freeman, Don, 1908-1978, person
associatedWith Gallagher, Frank, d. 1962. person
associatedWith Grafly, Charles, 1862-1929. person
associatedWith Gropper, William person
associatedWith Gropper, William, 1897- person
associatedWith Hambidge, Jay, 1867-1924. person
associatedWith Harris, Hartman Kuhn. person
associatedWith Harris, Hartman Kuhn. person
associatedWith Harrison, William Preston, 1870-1940. person
associatedWith Healy, H. person
associatedWith Hely's Limited (Dublin, Ireland) corporateBody
associatedWith Henri, Linda Craige. person
associatedWith Henri, Linda Craige. person
associatedWith Henri, Marjorie Organ. person
associatedWith Henri, Marjorie Organ. person
associatedWith Henri, Robert, Mrs. person
associatedWith Herrick, C. W. person
associatedWith Horn, Charles C., 1889-1957. person
associatedWith Hovenden, Thomas, 1840-1895. person
associatedWith Howard, Loretta Hines. person
associatedWith Ireland. Congested Districts Board. corporateBody
associatedWith Irish Land Commission. corporateBody
associatedWith James Newman (London, England) corporateBody
associatedWith J.B. Lippincott Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Kapp & Peterson, Ltd. (Dublin, Ireland) corporateBody
associatedWith Kenny, P. J. person
associatedWith Kent, Rockwell, 1882-1971, person
associatedWith King, Marian. person
associatedWith Klauber, Alice Ellen, 1871-1951. person
associatedWith Kradio. corporateBody
associatedWith Kroll, Leon, 1884-1974. person
associatedWith Kruse, Alexander Z., 1888-1972. person
associatedWith Kwiat, Joseph J. person
associatedWith Laufman, Sidney, 1891- person
associatedWith Laurent, Robert, 1890-1970. person
associatedWith Lazzell, Blanche, 1878-1956. person
associatedWith Lee, Theresa Gatewood. person
associatedWith Lee, Theresa Gatewood. person
associatedWith L. Keegan, Esq. (Dublin, Ireland) corporateBody
associatedWith Los Angeles County Museum. corporateBody
associatedWith Macbeth Gallery. corporateBody
associatedWith MacRae, Elmer Livingston, 1875-1953 person
associatedWith Macy's (Firm) corporateBody
associatedWith Malloy, Mr. person
associatedWith Maratta, Hardesty. person
associatedWith Maratta, Hardesty. person
associatedWith Martini, H. E. person
associatedWith Maynard Walker Gallery. corporateBody
associatedWith McCausland, Elizabeth, 1899-1965. person
associatedWith McIntyre, Mr. person
associatedWith Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, N.Y.). Library. corporateBody
associatedWith Milch Galleries. corporateBody
associatedWith Milch Gallery. corporateBody
associatedWith M. Mulloy & Sons (Westport, Ireland) corporateBody
associatedWith Morgan Russell person
associatedWith Museum of Modern Art (New York, N.Y.) corporateBody
associatedWith Myers, Jerome, 1867-1940 person
associatedWith National Academy of Design (U.S.) corporateBody
associatedWith Newcomb, Macklin & Co. (New York, N.Y.) corporateBody
associatedWith New York (N.Y.). Dept. of Finance. corporateBody
associatedWith Niles, Helen. person
associatedWith Niles, Helen. person
associatedWith Organ, Violet. person
associatedWith Pach, Walter person
associatedWith Pach, Walter, 1883-1958. person
associatedWith Parrish, Maxfield, 1870-1966 person
associatedWith Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. corporateBody
associatedWith Perlman, Bennard B. person
associatedWith Perry, Clara. person
associatedWith Pickard, John, 1858-1937. person
associatedWith Read, Helen Appleton, 1897-1974. person
associatedWith Redfield, Edward Willis, 1869-1965. person
associatedWith Roberts, Mary Fanton person
associatedWith Roberts, Mary Fanton, 1871-1956. person
associatedWith Roberts, William Carman. person
associatedWith Roberts, William Carman. person
correspondedWith Robinson, Edward, 1858-1931 person
correspondedWith Russell, Morgan, 1886-1953. person
associatedWith Ryerson, Margery. person
associatedWith Schofield, Walter Elmer, 1867-1944. person
associatedWith Scott, William Binden. person
associatedWith Seiberling, Frank, 1908- person
associatedWith Sheridan, Mildred. person
associatedWith Shinn, Everett, 1876-1953. person
associatedWith Shuster, Will. person
correspondedWith Sloan, John, 1871-1951. person
associatedWith Society of American Arts and Letters, Inc. corporateBody
associatedWith Southrn, Frank L. person
associatedWith Southrn, Frank L. person
associatedWith Spewack, Samuel, 1899-1971 person
associatedWith Spewack, Samuel and Bella. person
associatedWith Sterner, Albert, 1863-1946. person
associatedWith Story, Ala. person
associatedWith Sweeney, Patrick. person
associatedWith Teichert, Minerva Kohlhepp, 1888-1976. person
associatedWith United States. Bureau of Internal Revenue. corporateBody
associatedWith University of Rochester. Memorial Art Gallery. corporateBody
associatedWith Van Vleck, Natalie, 1901-1974. person
associatedWith Webb, Scott & Seymour (Dublin, Ireland) corporateBody
associatedWith Weichsel, John, 1870-1946. person
associatedWith White, Clarence H., 1871-1925. person
associatedWith Whitney Museum of American Art. corporateBody
associatedWith Williams, Mildred, b. 1892. person
associatedWith Winsor & Newton. corporateBody
associatedWith Woodward, Sidney C., 1890-1963. person
associatedWith Yaddo (Artist's colony) corporateBody
associatedWith Young, J. W. person
associatedWith Zalesch, Saul, person
Place Name Admin Code Country
Ireland
Ireland
Ireland
New York (State)--New York
United States
Subject
Art, American
Artists, American
Art
Art
Art
Art
Art
Art galleries, Commercial
Artists
Art museums
Art patrons
Art teachers
Eight (Group of American artists)
Finance, Personal
Fishing
Fishing tackle
Painters
Painters, American
Painting, Modern
Portraits
Shorthand
Occupation
Artists
Painter
Activity

Person

Birth 1865-06-24

Death 1929-07-12

Americans

English

Information

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