A Colorful History

Henry Ossawa Tanner (1859-1937) was the first African American painter to gain international renown. His desire to paint developed in his teen years as he grew up around the Philadelphia art scene. At the age of 21 he enrolled in the prestigious Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and learned under the guidance of the visionary Thomas Eakins. In 1888 Tanner began teaching at Clark College, but desperately wanted to go abroad due to the racism he felt at home. He would gain enough funds to do so when a bishop and his wife purchased his entire collection. He would settle in Paris and learn under many famous artists and eventually came to reside in the Etaples art colony in Normandy. His paintings would depict African American and Peasant life with respect and care, but he would eventually transition into Biblical pieces. His art was very well received and he even had pieces exhibited in the Paris Salon, one of which was purchased by the French government and now resides in the Louvre’s collections. During WWI he would paint from the front lines of war, which earned him a knighthood in the Legion of Honor. He became a member of many art societies and the first African American full academician at the National Academy of Design. He would continue to paint the rest of his life and would be awarded many medals for his art internationally.