Celestine, 1920

Provenance

Estate of the Artist

Chapellier Galleries, New York, from above

Mann Galleries, Miami, from above

Private Collection, New Jersey

Exhibited

Howard Young Galleries, New York, New York

Albright-Knox Gallery of Art, Buffalo, Fourteenth Annual Exhibition of Selection Paintings by American Artists, May 29-September 7, 1920, no.58.

Boston Art Club, An Exhibition of Paintings by Honorary Members of the Boston Art Club, 1920.

New Society of Artists, New York, Second Annual Exhibitions of the New Society Artists, held at E. Gimpel and Wildenstein, November 8 – 27, 1920, pp.6, 38, no.60

Charcoal Club, Baltimore, 12th Annual Exhibition of American Art Under the Auspices of the Charcoal Club, Peabody Institute, February 2 – 27, 1921, no.56

Literature

Robert Henri Record Book, number 26L

Related Works

Dutch Girl in White, 1907, oil on canvas, 24 x 20 inches, signed lower left: Robert Henri; The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, New York

Portrait of a Woman (Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney?), 1911, oil on canvas board, 9 9/16 × 7 5/8 inches, signed lower left: Robert Henri 1911; Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, New York

Catharine, 1913, oil on canvas, 24 x 20 1/16 inches; National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

Note

Robert Henri produced his most compelling work when portraying subjects with an inner intensity, a quality vividly captured in his portrait of Celestine. A leading figure of the Ashcan School, Henri championed the depiction of everyday life and imbued his work with an authenticity that challenged academic conventions. This portrait exemplifies the artistic spirit of his philosophy, reflecting his admiration for Hals and Manet through the sitter’s commanding gaze, spontaneity, directness, and vivid brushwork that animate with immediacy and vitality.