1865-1929. US painter, a leading figure in
the transition between 19th-century
conventions and Modern art in America. He was
a principal member of the Ashcan school. Born
in Cincinnati, Ohio, he was trained at the
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, after
which he studied in Europe before returning
to the US. Although he executed a number of
noted works, such as Himself and Herself
1913, he is best known as a teacher,
profoundly influencing such artists as George
Bellows, William Glackens, Edward Hopper,
Rockwell Kent, and George Luks. Henri
organized an alternative exhibition arena for
young artists, the Independent Artists, and
taught at the Art Students' League in New
York 1915-28. His dramatic portraits include
Spanish Gypsy (Metropolitan Museum of Art,
New York) and Young Woman in Black (Art
Institute, Chicago).