Spanish Sojourns: Robert Henri and the Spirit of Spain is the catalogue of the first exhibition to explore the Spanish paintings of Robert Henri (1865-1929). Including more than forty full-color plates of the paintings inspired by Henri’s seven journeys to Spain,
Spanish Sojourns provides a thorough examination of Henri’s lengthy engagement with that country’s people, art, and culture. The catalog’s three in-depth essays also contain a wealth of comparative images: paintings, drawings, photographs, and documents. Written by Valerie Ann Leeds, a noted Henri scholar; M. Elizabeth Boone, an authority on Spanish art; and Holly Koons McCullough, a longtime curator at Telfair Museums, the essays discuss Henri’s Spanish paintings in a variety of contexts—artistic, cultural, and historical—laying the groundwork for readers’ full understanding and appreciation of this major body of work by one of the most influential American artists of the early twentieth century.
Spain and its people held particular fascination for Henri, who was attracted to the nation’s sunny climate, ancient culture, and spirited citizens. He first visited Spain in 1900, and returned six times between 1906 and 1926, often for extended stays. He produced some of his boldest and most compelling likenesses there, portraying a wide range of bohemian cultural figures including singers, dancers, musicians, bullfighters, gypsies and peasants. Henri’s Spanish paintings also reflect his admiration for the great Spanish masters Diego Velázquez and Francisco Goya, whose works he studied closely during his many visits to Madrid’s Prado Museum.
EXHIBITION SCHEDULE
- Telfair Museums Savannah, Georgia
October 18, 2013–May 4, 2014 - San Diego Museum of Art California
May 30–September 7, 2014 - Mississippi Museum of Art Jackson, Mississippi
September 26, 2014–January 4, 2015
