Artist Details
| Artist Name | Robert Henri |
|---|---|
| Born | 1865 in Cincinnati, Ohio |
| Died | 1929 in New York, New York |
Artist Biography
Robert Henri, one of America’s greatest artists, had a Nebraska connection which remained unknown until the 1950s. Born Robert Henry Cozad in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1865, he came to Dawson County, Nebraska at the age of eight. His father, John J. Cozad founded the town of Cozad in 1873. Nine years later, the outcome of a legal dispute with neighbors ended with a death and caused the elder Cozad to leave Nebraska. The family soon followed and settled in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The father changed his name to Richard Henry Lee with Robert and his brother posing as foster sons, taking the names Robert Henry (later Henri) and Frank Sothern. In 1886 Robert Henri studied in Philadelphia and then in Paris for three years where he lived for several years. He continued teaching at various academies and eventually founded the Henri School. His portrait of Eulabee Dix was of a fellow Nebraska artist, Dix having resided in Beatrice during her early life, although it is not known if they ever discussed their mutual background growing up in Nebraska. Both were painters, engaged in a thriving New York art scene with Dix specializing in miniature portraits.
