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ROBERT HENRI
1865–1929
  
By 1907, the year of this portrait by Gertrude Käsebier, Robert Henri was recognized as one of the most forceful personalities on the American art scene. His much-heralded classes at the New York School of Art attracted many promising young artists, including Edward Hopper, George Bellows, and Rockwell Kent. As ARTnews proclaimed in a later tribute, Henri "led his pupils away from idyllic landscapes, mid-Victorian interiors and still life in order to open their eyes-and minds-to the life about them." His progressive vision, however, was not uniformly embraced. In evaluating entries for the prestigious annual exhibition at the National Academy of Design in 1907, a conservative contingent of jurors balked at including the work of Henri's peers. In response, Henri withdrew his own paintings from the exhibition and organized a group show at New York's Macbeth Gallery. Entitled "The Eight," after the number of participants, this exhibition represented the first public collaboration among a group of artists that later became known as the Ashcan School.
Gertrude Käsebier (1852-1934)
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