February Art Auction Lot 4 - Sunset, Tuscany by Grace Henry
Grace Henry was born in Kirktown, near Peterhead, Aberdeenshire in February 1868. Her early life was defined by a domestic character, she was educated by a governess then attended a finishing school in London. In 1895, her father, Reverend John Mitchell, retired from his parish and moved to Aberdeen, passing away a year later. This shift unsettled Henry’s personal life and she left Aberdeen in 1899, travelling through Europe on route to Paris.
Henry had her first recorded exhibition in 1896 with the Aberdeen Artist’s Society and continued exhibiting there until 1900, however due to her nomadic lifestyle no paintings from her Scottish period remain. While still exhibiting locally, her artistic confidence grew during her travels, attending the Blanc Garrins Academy in Brussels and the Delecluse Academy in Paris. In 1900, she met fellow artist, Paul Henry and they married in London in September 1903, where they proceeded to live for the following years. During this period, her style was particularly influenced by James McNeill Whistler whom she met in Paris through her husband. This period was defined by simple compositions with muted colour ranges.
After spending time in Achill, the couple returned to Dublin in 1919. In 1920, they were founding members of the Society of Dublin Painters alongside Letitia Marion Hamilton, Mary Swanzy, and Jack Butler Yeats. Five of Grace’s works were featured at the Irish Exhibition in Paris in 1922, and at a similar exhibition in Brussels in 1930. Whilst in Achill, her work developed a new sense of freedom and expression altering colour, composition, and form. Around 1920, Grace developed a relationship with Stephen Gwynn and soon went travelling with him across France and Italy. During this period, her painting evolved into its most free and loose approach. Using dramatic colours to capture the landscape and atmosphere, she followed a Fauvist style of experimentation. In 1924 she studied with the Cubist painter, Andre Lhote while in Paris. With a shift in her artistic style during this time, her personal life was also changing as Grace permanently parted from Paul Henry. She spent several years travelling in the South of France and Italy, although she continued to regularly exhibit at the Royal Hibernian Academy and held solo shows at the Waddington and Dawson galleries.
Henry returned to Dublin in 1939, she continued to paint and exhibit but her artistic career effectively slowed down at this stage. During a career of over 50 years, her style constantly expanded through engagement with European modernism. She did not write about her life and little documentary evidence survived, she was also omitted from Paul Henry's autobiography and was often overshadowed by her husband’s success for many years. During the 1970s, her paintings were re-examined, along with many other women artists, which led to wider public recognition and Henry’s inclusion in several exhibitions such as The Paintings of Paul and Grace Henry at the Hugh Lane Gallery in 1991.
Grace Henry was born in Kirktown, near Peterhead, Aberdeenshire in February 1868. Her early life was defined by a domestic character, she was educated by a governess then attended a finishing school in London. In 1895, her father, Reverend John Mitchell, retired from his parish and moved to Aberdeen, passing away a year later. This shift unsettled Henry’s personal life and she left Aberdeen in 1899, travelling through Europe on route to Paris.
Henry had her first recorded exhibition in 1896 with the Aberdeen Artist’s Society and continued exhibiting there until 1900, however due to her nomadic lifestyle no paintings from her Scottish period remain. While still exhibiting locally, her artistic confidence grew during her travels, attending the Blanc Garrins Academy in Brussels and the Delecluse Academy in Paris. In 1900, she met fellow artist, Paul Henry and they married in London in September 1903, where they proceeded to live for the following years. During this period, her style was particularly influenced by James McNeill Whistler whom she met in Paris through her husband. This period was defined by simple compositions with muted colour ranges.
After spending time in Achill, the couple returned to Dublin in 1919. In 1920, they were founding members of the Society of Dublin Painters alongside Letitia Marion Hamilton, Mary Swanzy, and Jack Butler Yeats. Five of Grace’s works were featured at the Irish Exhibition in Paris in 1922, and at a similar exhibition in Brussels in 1930. Whilst in Achill, her work developed a new sense of freedom and expression altering colour, composition, and form. Around 1920, Grace developed a relationship with Stephen Gwynn and soon went travelling with him across France and Italy. During this period, her painting evolved into its most free and loose approach. Using dramatic colours to capture the landscape and atmosphere, she followed a Fauvist style of experimentation. In 1924 she studied with the Cubist painter, Andre Lhote while in Paris. With a shift in her artistic style during this time, her personal life was also changing as Grace permanently parted from Paul Henry. She spent several years travelling in the South of France and Italy, although she continued to regularly exhibit at the Royal Hibernian Academy and held solo shows at the Waddington and Dawson galleries.
Henry returned to Dublin in 1939, she continued to paint and exhibit but her artistic career effectively slowed down at this stage. During a career of over 50 years, her style constantly expanded through engagement with European modernism. She did not write about her life and little documentary evidence survived, she was also omitted from Paul Henry's autobiography and was often overshadowed by her husband’s success for many years. During the 1970s, her paintings were re-examined, along with many other women artists, which led to wider public recognition and Henry’s inclusion in several exhibitions such as The Paintings of Paul and Grace Henry at the Hugh Lane Gallery in 1991.
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