Henry Ossawa Tanner

Henry Ossawa Tanner (American, 1859–1937)

Tanner studied at PAFA (1880-82) under realist painter Thomas Eakins. Frustrated by racism in Philadelphia, he moved to Paris in 1891, attended l’Académie Julian and became an expatriate, working both in Paris and Normandy. Tanner’s expressive paintings, saturated with transparent light and balance with a tempered color palette, depict everyday figures and biblical scenes with sensitive, precise brushwork. These atmospheric works were exhibited at the Paris Salon and met with critical acclaim both at home and abroad. Awarded the Legion of Honour in 1923, his work entered the White House Collection in 1996, a first for an African American.

Important Source Material:

The Art of Henry O. Tanner (1859-1937). Washington, D.C.: the Smithsonian Institution, 1969.

Mosby, Dewey F. and Darrel Sewell. Henry Ossawa Tanner. Philadelphia, PA: Philadelphia Museum of Art; New York, NY: Rizzoli International Publications, 1991.

Marley, Anna O., Editor. Henry Ossawa Tanner: modern spirit. Philadelphia, PA: Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts; Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 2012.

NHS