Skip to main content

Robert Henri Art

American, 1865-1929
Born Robert Henry Cozad, Robert shared a lineage with Mary Cassatt, making them cousins. Henri kept secret that relationship much as he did his birth name, in an effort to erase the reputation of a murder conviction against his father John Cozad. Robert's childhood reads like a Bret Harte short story. From card shark to real estate speculator, Henri's father moved the family from Cincinnati to Nebraska in a series of speculative land development projects. A disgruntled employee attacked Robert's father, and in self-defense his gun fired, killing the attacker. The murder conviction, later pardoned, led to the family's fleeing to Colorado, and assuming new identities. Robert Henri was sent to boarding school in New York, where he showed talent in writing and theater, creative endeavors encouraged by his mother. He discounted his creativity, thinking "artists surprised their parents... by doing masterpieces in their infancy... and [he] was not of that class" (Perlman). Nevertheless, painting buildings his father acquired in Atlantic City and producing political cartoons and color sketches for a small "museum" in his father's store caught the attention of admirers who encouraged Robert's art. James Albert Cathcart persuaded Henri to study at his alma mater, the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, where Henri enrolled in 1886. Robert Henri’s strong connection to the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts began when he enrolled as a student in 1886. He entered the Academy eight months after Thomas Eakins had resigned. Despite Eakins’s absence, his strong influence on the curriculum at PAFA remained and it affected Henri profoundly. Eakins had instituted new educational policies at the Academy that were some of the most progressive in the country. Thomas Anshutz played an important role in Henri’s development as an artist. He upheld many of Eakins’s ideas and continued to build upon his teaching method; however, Anshutz was also open to change and cultivated individual artistic expression. A devoted teacher, he did not impose artistic formulas. Henri valued Anshutz’s criticism greatly, and determined to succeed as an artist, he worked tirelessly as his student. After studying for three years in Paris from 1888 to 1891, Henri returned to Philadelphia and the halls of the Academy. Steeped in Anshutz’s call for realism and plain painting without bravura, Henri challenged himself and the other artists he influenced to “paint what you feel . . . paint what is real to you.” And so began his lifelong pursuit of painting “life in the raw,” without what he deemed “academic artifice.” He promoted this credo to his many students and perhaps popularized it most in his sensational 1908 exhibition at Macbeth Gallery, where he and a group of artists, eventually called The Eight, mounted a show that was a direct affront to the National Academy of Design’s rejection of their work and the modernist spirit that shaped them as artists. Henri met four of the artists who made up The Eight, William Glackens, John Sloan, Everett Shinn, and George Luks, in Philadelphia, where they all took classes at PAFA.
to
5
5
5
2
1
1
Celestine
Celestine

Celestine

By Robert Henri

Located in Bryn Mawr, PA

Celestine, 1920 Oil on canvas, 32 x 26 inches (81.3 x 66 cm) Framed dimensions: 41 x 35 inches Signed lower right: Robert Henri Inscribed on verso: 26 / L Robert Henri / Celestine P...

Category

1920s Ashcan School Robert Henri Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Portrait of a resting young lady (Marjorie Organ)
Portrait of a resting young lady (Marjorie Organ)

Portrait of a resting young lady (Marjorie Organ)

By Robert Henri

Located in Fairlawn, OH

Portrait of a resting young lady (Marjorie Organ) Black chalk on paper. c. 1907 signed in ink by Henri's nephew, John C. LeClair, the executor of the Henri estate "Robert Henri JLC" Note: The sitter for this portrait is depicted in two drawings of similar size, illustrated in Chapellier Galleries Inc., Robert Henri 1865-1929, 1976, nos. 15 & 16. Please see the attached photo of Marjorie Organ, Henri's second wife Condition: Excellent Image/Sheet size: 10 3/8 x 7 1/2 inches Provenance: Estate of the Artist John C. LeClair, Estate Adminitrator Private Collection, Pawling, New York Biography Robert Henri was born Robert Henry Cozad in Cincinnati, Ohio, on June 24, 1865, the son of a professional gambler and real estate developer. The family lived in Nebraska and Colorado, but fled east when the father shot and killed a rancher over a land dispute and was indicted for manslaughter. They changed their last name because of the ensuing scandal and eventually settled in Atlantic City, New Jersey, during the early 1880s. In 1886 Henri enrolled at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia, where he studied under Thomas Anshutz, Thomas Hovenden...

Category

Early 1900s American Impressionist Robert Henri Art

Materials

Graphite

Girl with Muff
Girl with Muff

Girl with Muff

By Robert Henri

Located in Palm Desert, CA

"Girl with Muff" is aa American figurative portrait oil on canvas painting by Robert Henri in 1912. The artwork is 57 1/4 x 38 1/4 inches and, with the frame, is 64 1/4 x 45 1/4 x 2 ...

Category

Early 20th Century American Realist Robert Henri Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Native American Still Life.  Ashcan Painter - New Mexico Early 20th Century.
Native American Still Life.  Ashcan Painter - New Mexico Early 20th Century.

Native American Still Life. Ashcan Painter - New Mexico Early 20th Century.

By Robert Henri

Located in Marco Island, FL

A still life of Native American pottery, moccasins, and fur, that was likely arranged during one of the artist's many trips to New Mexico and California. This painting embraces th...

Category

1910s American Realist Robert Henri Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Sandy"
"Sandy"

"Sandy"

By Robert Henri

Located in Lambertville, NJ

Jim's of Lambertville Fine Art Gallery is proud to present this piece by Robert Henri (1865 - 1929). Robert Henri was born Robert Henry Cozad in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1865. At the ...

Category

1920s Other Art Style Robert Henri Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Related Items
The Magician. New York Ashcan School Magic Entertainment Watercolor Painting
The Magician. New York Ashcan School Magic Entertainment Watercolor Painting

The Magician. New York Ashcan School Magic Entertainment Watercolor Painting

Located in Marco Island, FL

A vibrant painting depicting a magician pulling doves from his hat for an enthusiastic audience. It captures a moment of modern city amusement that many artists, from Degas to Picas...

Category

Mid-20th Century Ashcan School Robert Henri Art

Materials

Watercolor, Board

Love Mirror Oil on Canvas, Signed Magazine Cover, Circa 1937, 17x13
Love Mirror Oil on Canvas, Signed Magazine Cover, Circa 1937, 17x13

Love Mirror Oil on Canvas, Signed Magazine Cover, Circa 1937, 17x13

Located in Miami, FL

Love Mirror, True Experiences magazine cover, February 1937 by Female Illustrator and Pupl Artist Georgia Warren Oil on canvas 17 x 13 inches (43.2 x 33.0 cm) Signed lower left: War...

Category

1930s American Realist Robert Henri Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Arquebusiers En Manoeuvre", After Marchetti
"Arquebusiers En Manoeuvre", After Marchetti

"Arquebusiers En Manoeuvre", After Marchetti

Located in Soquel, CA

Figurative landscape of four infantrymen in formation with their long arquebus guns by Adolphe Ancker (Dutch, 19th Century), after Marchetti. Signed and dated "Adolph Ancker 1888" lo...

Category

1880s American Impressionist Robert Henri Art

Materials

Paper, Watercolor, Pencil

GIRL WADING
GIRL WADING

Edward Henry PotthastGIRL WADING

$8,500

H 16 in W 12 in D 2 in

GIRL WADING

By Edward Henry Potthast

Located in Portland, ME

Potthast, Edward H. GIRL WADING. Colored pencil drawing on paper, not dated. Signed recto, lower right "E. Potthast," lower right, and inscribed "Holiday Greetings" and signed "Edw. ...

Category

Late 19th Century American Impressionist Robert Henri Art

Materials

Color Pencil

Yellow mood- 21st Century Contemporary portrait Painting
Yellow mood- 21st Century Contemporary portrait Painting

Yellow mood- 21st Century Contemporary portrait Painting

By Tania Rivilis

Located in Nuenen, Noord Brabant

Tania Rivilis Yellow mood 40 x 40 cm framed (included in price) 43,5 x 43,5 cm Oilpaint on canvas Tania Rivilis (b. 1986) 2022 winner of the 'William Locke Price' ( £ 30.000 ) fr...

Category

2010s Contemporary Robert Henri Art

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Ladies of Spain
Ladies of Spain

Martha WalterLadies of Spain, 1928

$3,800

H 13.25 in W 11.25 in D 2 in

Ladies of Spain

By Martha Walter

Located in New York, NY

Martha Walter is one of the most formidable and talented American female artists of her time. Her extensive schooling and unprecedented travel around the world, particularly for a wo...

Category

1920s American Impressionist Robert Henri Art

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

Girl with Braided Hair, Raphael Soyer
Girl with Braided Hair, Raphael Soyer

Girl with Braided Hair, Raphael Soyer

By Raphael Soyer

Located in Fairfield, CT

Artist: Raphael Soyer (1899-1987) Title: Girl with Braided Hair Year: Circa 1947 Medium: Oil on canvas Size: 12 x 9 inches; framed size, 19 x 16 inches Condition: Excellent Inscripti...

Category

1940s American Realist Robert Henri Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Planting (Spring Plowing) - Watercolor Landscape Painting with Figures, c. 1939
Planting (Spring Plowing) - Watercolor Landscape Painting with Figures, c. 1939

Planting (Spring Plowing) - Watercolor Landscape Painting with Figures, c. 1939

By Thomas Hart Benton

Located in Palm Desert, CA

"Planting (Spring Plowing)", a vibrant watercolor and graphite on paper by Thomas Hart Benton, circa 1939-40, embodies the artist's signature Regionalist style. The work depicts a ru...

Category

Mid-20th Century American Impressionist Robert Henri Art

Materials

Paper, Watercolor, Graphite

"Gardening in the Country" Susan Grisell, Impressionist Tulips in Bloom
"Gardening in the Country" Susan Grisell, Impressionist Tulips in Bloom

"Gardening in the Country" Susan Grisell, Impressionist Tulips in Bloom

By Susan Grisell

Located in New York, NY

Susan Grisell Gardening in the Country, circa 1990 Signed lower right Pastel on paper 6 x 8 5/8 inches 11 3/8 x 16 inches mat Following the guidance of her long-time teacher and me...

Category

1990s American Impressionist Robert Henri Art

Materials

Paper, Pastel

Portrait of a  Slum Boy  Ashcan School
Portrait of a  Slum Boy  Ashcan School

Portrait of a Slum Boy Ashcan School

By George Benjamin Luks

Located in Miami, FL

Signed upper right Private Collection Luks was famous for painting people from impoverished slum areas. The work was most likely painted from life and portrays a youth haphazardly dressed. Luks describes the subject in quick, rapid-fire brush...

Category

Early 1900s Ashcan School Robert Henri Art

Materials

Oil

Looking into the dining room
Looking into the dining room

Carole RabeLooking into the dining room

Unavailable|$1,300

H 24 in W 12 in

Looking into the dining room

By Carole Rabe

Located in Lexington, MA

Carole Rabe’s Looking into Dining Room is a beautifully composed 24 x 12 inch oil on canvas that transforms a simple domestic view into a meditative interior landscape. In this intim...

Category

2010s American Realist Robert Henri Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

“Rowing on the Charles River, Harvard University” Boston, Cambride, MA Cityscape
“Rowing on the Charles River, Harvard University” Boston, Cambride, MA Cityscape

“Rowing on the Charles River, Harvard University” Boston, Cambride, MA Cityscape

By Aiden Lassell Ripley

Located in Yardley, PA

“Rowing on the Charles River, Harvard University” by Aiden Lassell Ripley (American, 1896-1969) A fantastic, rare view of Harvard University and the Charles River by renowned Americ...

Category

20th Century American Impressionist Robert Henri Art

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

Previously Available Items
Central Park
Central Park

Central Park

By Robert Henri

Located in Bryn Mawr, PA

Central Park, painted circa 1901, is an early example of Henri's commitment to paint the world around him as he saw it. Painted en plein air, Henri often executed these quick studies...

Category

Early 1900s Ashcan School Robert Henri Art

Materials

Oil, Wood Panel

"Haarlem Windmill, " Robert Henri, Dutch Rural Ashcan Scene, Netherlands
"Haarlem Windmill, " Robert Henri, Dutch Rural Ashcan Scene, Netherlands

"Haarlem Windmill, " Robert Henri, Dutch Rural Ashcan Scene, Netherlands

By Robert Henri

Located in New York, NY

Robert Cozad Henri (1865 - 1929) Haarlem Windmill, Holland, 1907 Oil on panel 5 x 6 1/2 inches Signed, titled, and dated on the reverse Provenance: Collection of Ezra & Cecile Zilkh...

Category

1990s Ashcan School Robert Henri Art

Materials

Oil, Panel

Courtship
Courtship

Robert HenriCourtship, c. 1905

Sold

H 10.75 in W 13.5 in

Courtship

By Robert Henri

Located in Fairlawn, OH

Courtship Graphite and black crayon, c. 1905 Signed by the artist in pencil lower left (see photo) Most probably inspired by a Paul Gavarni lithograph and executed while the artist w...

Category

Early 1900s American Impressionist Robert Henri Art

Materials

Crayon

Dandy with Two Elegant Women

Dandy with Two Elegant Women

By Robert Henri

Located in Fairlawn, OH

Signed with the embossed estate stamp “RH” lower left; Stamped with the Estate of Robert Henri, Hirschl & Adler, NYC verso (Hirschl stock No. 0/53628) Provenance: Estate of the art...

Category

Early 1900s Ashcan School Robert Henri Art

Materials

Graphite

Robert Henri art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Robert Henri art available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Robert Henri in canvas, crayon, fabric and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 20th century and is mostly associated with the Impressionist style. Not every interior allows for large Robert Henri art, so small editions measuring 14 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Martha Walter, John Singer Sargent, and Marjorie May Blake. Robert Henri art prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $16,000 and tops out at $218,750, while the average work can sell for $117,375.

Artists Similar to Robert Henri