Florence Henri facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Florence Montagne Henri
Portrait of Henri by Lucia Moholy
Born	June 28, 1893 New York City, US
Died	July 24, 1982(1982-07-24) (aged 89) Laboissière-en-Thelle, France
Nationality	Stateless
Movement	Cubism, Constructivism

Florence Henri (born June 28, 1893 – died July 24, 1982) was a talented artist. She was known for her amazing photography and painting. She also composed music for the piano.

Florence traveled a lot when she was young. She lived in places like Paris, Vienna, and the Isle of Wight. She studied music in Berlin and even composed piano music for silent films during World War I. Later, she studied art in Paris. Her most important art training was at the Bauhaus school in Germany. There, she learned photography from famous artists like László Moholy-Nagy. She became a professional photographer in Paris and created many unique works. Later in her life, she focused on painting.

Early Life and Travels

Florence Henri was born in New York City. Her father was French and her mother was German. When Florence was two years old, her mother passed away. After that, she and her father traveled a lot for his work. He was a director for a petroleum company.

Florence started learning music in Paris when she was nine. In 1906, she and her father settled on the Isle of Wight in England. Her father died there in 1908. After his death, Florence moved to Rome. She lived with Gino Gori, a poet who introduced her to exciting new art movements.

Music and War in Berlin

In 1913, Florence moved to Berlin to continue her music studies. She learned from a famous pianist, Ferruccio Busoni. When World War I started in 1914, Florence was stuck in Berlin. Her money was frozen, so she needed to earn a living. She used her piano skills to compose music for silent movies.

During this time, she visited the Academy of the Arts, Berlin. This visit made her decide to become a painter instead of a musician. She focused on drawing people and landscapes. She also met Carl Einstein, a German art critic. He became a close friend and mentor to her. After the war, she studied with other artists like Vasily Kandinsky.

In 1924, Florence wanted to move to Paris. To get permission to live in France, she married Karl Anton Koster. This was a practical marriage, and they later divorced in 1954.

Art Education and Exhibitions

In 1925, Florence Henri enrolled at the Académie Moderne in Paris. She studied with well-known painters Fernand Léger and Amédée Ozenfant.

In the summer of 1925, an important art show happened in Paris. It was called "Exposition International. L'Art d'Aujourd'hui." This was the first big international show of modern art in Paris since World War I. Florence Henri's work was shown alongside famous artists like Piet Mondrian, Paul Klee, and Pablo Picasso. After another exhibition in 1927, Florence decided to study at the famous Bauhaus school in Dessau, Germany.

Learning Photography at Bauhaus

At the Bauhaus, Florence met László Moholy-Nagy. He was a very important artist and teacher. She took his summer photography course. She even became good friends with his wife, Lucia Moholy, who encouraged her to try photography. This was a big turning point for Florence.

Photography Career in Paris

Florence Henri's photography became very important in the art world of the late 1920s. By 1928, she stopped painting and opened her own photography studio in Paris in 1929.

László Moholy-Nagy published one of her self-portraits in an art magazine. He praised her photos for making everyday things look new and strange. Florence often used mirrors in her photos. She used them to create interesting self-portraits, for her commercial work, and when taking pictures of friends. Some of her famous friends she photographed included Jean Arp, Sonia Delaunay, and Wassili Kandinsky.

Untitled (1926-1929) by Florence Henri

In 1930, Florence showed her work at a big international photography exhibition in Munich. The next year, her photos were shown in New York. Her work was compared to other leading photographers like Man Ray and László Moholy-Nagy. This showed how important her art was. She also had her own exhibitions and her photos appeared in various journals. She even created a series of images of the dancer Rosella Hightower.

Florence opened her portrait studio in Paris in 1928. By 1930, she was teaching photography classes herself. Some of her students, like Gisèle Freund and Lisette Model, later became successful photographers.

As World War II approached, it became harder for Florence to get photographic materials. Her experimental photography might have been considered "degenerate art" by the Nazi Party. So, Florence Henri returned to abstract painting. She continued to paint until she passed away in the 1980s.

Images for kids

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  Untitled (1926-1929) by Florence Henri

See also

In Spanish: Florence Henri para niños