Mary Henry

Exhibitions

• Paintings & Drawings - May 5, 2009
• PDX expands with new program called "PDX Across The Hall" - May 1, 2009
• Mixed Company - January 30, 2007
• Influenced - June 4, 2002

Statement

I've never paid attention to art trends, though Op Art influenced my early paintings. I found my way of working long ago and I stay with it, working to push my boundaries further and further out. Often I return to ideas to I've had as long as twenty years, and because my thinking about art has been consistent, there is a continuity throughout my long years to painting.

I am not interested in portraying life as such, but I am interested in portraying ideas and emotions. What I would like most of all to be able to do would be to find in my painting the connection of humanity to the universe - a truly symbolic relationship made visible. This is, I believe, my concept of the spirituality of my painting. I continue with non-objective work using geometric shapes. I believe it is the way that best expresses what I feel and what I think is the deepest, most significant art form now and for the future. I believe that it is not necessarily a good thing to be constantly trying to be new; beauty is what we should be looking for.

- Mary Henry, October 2001

CV

BORN 1913 Sonoma, CA

EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS
1938
Bachelor of Fine Arts, California College of Arts and Crafts, Oakland, CA

1938-40
Federal Art Project, Oakland, CA

1940-43
Instructor, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa

1941
Studied lithography, San Francisco School of Fine Arts

1945-46
Master of Arts, Institute of Design, Chicago, IL, studied with L. Moholy-Nagy

1950-55
Member, Sign, Scene, Pictorial Painters Union, Local 510

1976
Master Painters class with Jack Tworkov, Centram Foundation, Port Townsend, WA

1981
Monotype workshop wit Michael Mazur, Centram Foundation, Port Townsend, WA

1988
Art Consultant: Perspectives of New Music

AWARDS
2006 Twining Humber Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement, Artist Trust, Seattle, WA

2001 Award for Visual Arts, Flintridge Foundation, Pasadena, CA

SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2009
"Paintings & Drawings," PDX Across the Hall at PDX Contemporary Art, Portland, OR
"Modern Parallels: Mary Henry and Helen Lundeberg," Sun Valley Center for the Arts, Ketchum, ID

2007
Howard House, Seattle ,WA
Wright Exhibition Space, Seattle, WA

2005
"Mary Henry: American Constructivist," Hallie Ford Museum of Art, Willamette University, Salem, OR
Schneider Museum of Art, Southern Oregon University, Ashland, OR
Bryan Ohno Gallery, Seattle, WA

2002
Lorinda Knight Gallery, Spokane, WA

2001
"In The Gardens of Myth and Logic," Museum of Northwest Art, La Connor, WA
"North Slope Paintings," Bellevue Art Museum, Bellevue, WA
"No Limits," Bellevue Art Museum, Four Wall Mural, Bellevue, WA
"Modern Master Works," Brian Ohno Gallery, Seattle, WA

2000
"Mary Henry, Paintings 1968 and 1998," PDX Contemporary Art, Portland, OR

1997
"The Geometric Tradition in American Art," Meyerson/Nowinski Gallery, Seattle, WA

1995
"Selected Paintings," Linda Cannon Gallery, Seattle, WA

1993
"Mary Henry, Non-objective Works," Cliff Michel Gallery, Seattle, WA

1992
Tacoma Art Museum, Barbara Johns, Curator, Tacoma, WA

1990
"Mary Henry/Robert Maki/Al Held," Cliff Michel Gallery, Seattle, WA

1989
"Mary Henry: New Constructs," Cliff Michel Gallery, Seattle, WA

1988
"Mary Henry: Paintings and Drawings," Richard L. Brown, Curator, Pacific Lutheran University, Parkland, WA
"Mary Henry: Selected Works," John Olbrantz, Curator, Whatcom Museum of History and Art, Bellingham, WA

1988
Los Altos Hills City Hall, Los Altos Hills, CA
Childer/Proctor Gallery, Langley, WA
Arthead Gallery, Seattle, WA

1987
History Center Archives, De Anza College, Sunnyvale, CA

1986
Childer/Proctor Gallery, Langley, WA

1984
Open Space, Matthew Kangas, Curator, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

1975
Wilkinson/Cobb Gallery, Mendocino, CA

1971
Sterling Associates, Palo Alto, CA

1970
Sonoma State College, Cotati, CA

1969
Arleigh Gallery, San Francisco, CA

1968
Ampex Corporation, Redwood City, CA

1967
Ampex Corporation, Redwood City, CA

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2007
"California College of Art & Craft: 100 Years in the Making," Oakland Museum of California, Oakland, CA
"Mixed Company," PDX Contempory Art, Portland, OR
"Circle, Square, Triangle," Archer Gallery, Clark College, Vancouver, WA

2006
"Portland Modern," curated by Kristan Kennedy and Matthew Stadler, Disjecta, Portland, OR

2005
"Matriarchs of Modernism," The Art Gym, Marylhurst University, Portland, OR
"Next PDX Artists," PDX Contemporary Art, Portland, OR

2004-05
"Northwest Matriarchs of Modernism: Twelve Proto-feminists from Oregon and Washington," Curated by Lois Allen. The Art Gym, Marylhurst University, Marylhurst, OR; Museum of Northwest Art, La Conner, WA; Hallie Ford Museum, Salem, OR; Schneider Museum of Art, Ashland, OR.

2003-04
"International Abstraction: Making Painting Real," Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, WA

2003
"City Space, Variations of Abstraction: Selections from the City of Seattle's Portable Collection," City Space, Seattle, WA

2001
"Abstracts on Paper and Mixed Media," PDX Contemporary Art, Portland, OR
Bryan Ohno Gallery: 5th Anniversary Celebration, Seattle, WA

2000
Hillwood Art Museum, Long Island University, New York
Annual Show, American Abstract Artists Group, Brookville, NY
Bumberbiennale, Matthew Kangas, curator Seattle Arts Festival, Seattle, WA

1999
"Paintings and Drawings," PDX Contemporary Art, Portland, OR

1998
"Hands on Color," Bellevue Art Museum, Bellevue, WA; Brain Wallace, curator
"Group Abstract Geometric Show," PDX Contemporary Art, Portland, OR

1997
Gallery Artists, PDX Contemporary Art, Portland, OR
"Drawings... An Annual Bi-coastal Invitational," Meyerson & Nowinski Art Associates, Seattle, WA
"Square Painting/Plane Painting," curated by Lauri Chamber. Catalogue. Center on Contemporary Art, Seattle, WA

1996
"American Abstract Artists," Westbeth Gallery, New York, NY
"American Abstract Artists 60th Anniversary Exhibition," Kean College, Union, NJ. Catalogue.

1995
Art Fair, Linda Cannon Gallery, Seattle, WA
CoCA Folie a Deux, Seattle, WA
"100 Painters, 100 Years," Tacoma Art Museum, Tacoma, WA

1994
"Selections from the Northwest Collection," Tacoma Art Museum, Seattle, WA
"Eyes on Public Work," Curated by Matthew Kangas, Seattle City Light Portable Works Collections, Seattle, WA
Seattle Center Modern Art Pavilion, Seattle, WA
"The Persistence or Abstraction, American Abstract Artists Annual Exhibition," The Noyes Museum, Oceanville, NJ
The Linda Cannon Gallery, Seattle, WA
Institut de Artes Visual, Palacio Pombal, Lisbon, Portugal

1993
"The Persistence of Abstraction," The Noyes Museum, American Abstract Artists, Oceanville, N.J.

1992
"The Persistence of Abstraction," Edwin A Ulrich Museum of Art, American Abstract Artists 56th
Annual Exhibition, Wichita State University, Whittier, KS
"Northwest Annual," Paula Cooper, Juror, Center on Contemporary Art, Seattle, WA
Casa Argentina en Israel, Tierra Santa, Jerusalem, Israel

1991
Summer Salon, Cliff Michel Gallery, Seattle, WA
"Abstraction 1: Focus on Form," Elizabeth Leach Gallery, Portland, OR
"The Big and the Small of it," Cliff Michel, Curator, Northview Gallery, Portland Community College, Portland, OR
National Governor’s Associations Exhibition of Washington State Artists, Washington State Convention and Trade Center, Seattle, WA

1990
"Mary Henry / Robert Maki / Al Held," Cliff Michel Gallery, Seattle, WA

1989
"Bumberbiennale: Decade of Abstraction 1979-1989," Matthew Kangas, Curator, A Bumbershoot Visual Arts Exhibition, Seattle Center, Seattle, WA
Northwest Annual, Leon Golub and Nancy Spero, Jurors, Center on Contemporary Art, Seattle, WA
Tacoma Art Museum, 100 Years of Washington Art, Tacoma, WA Penelope Loucas, Curator

1988
Illinois Institute of Technology, Institute of Design Alumni Exhibition, Chicago, IL

1987
Seattle Center, Bumberbiennale: Seattle Sculpture 1927-1987, A Bumbershoot Visual Arts
Exhibition, Seattle, WA, Matthew Kangas, Curator

1985
Seattle Center, Bumberbiennale: Seattle Painting 1925-1985, A Bumbershoot Visual Arts Exhibition,
Seattle, WA, Matthew Kangas, Curator

1984
Seattle Center, SIZE, A Bumbershoot Visual Arts Exhibition, Seattle, WA, Matthew Kangas, Curator

1981
Henry Art Gallery, Shapes as Ideas: Abstraction, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, Harvey West, Curator

1980
Gallery Diane Gilson, Seattle, WA
Soames-Dunn Building, Pike Place Market, Salon des Refuses 1980, Seattle, WA, Matthew Kangas, Curator

1976
Wilinson/Cobb Gallery, Mendocino, CA

1971
Palo Alto Cultural Center, Palo Alto, CA

1970
Sterling Associates, Palo Alto, CA

1949
San Francisco Museum of Art, Thirteenth Annual Exhibition of Drawings and Prints, San Francisco, CA

1948
Harvard University, School of Architecture, Cambridge, MA

1943
San Francisco Museum of Art, Seventh Annual Exhibition of Drawings and Prints, San Francisco, CA
A.C.A. Gallery, New York, NY

1942
Joslyn Memorial Museum, Omaha, NE

1941
San Francisco Museum of Art, Annual Exhibition of Paintings, San Francisco, CA

1938
Oakland Art Museum, Painting Annual, Oakland, CA

Selected Public Commissions
Hewlett-Packard Company, Palo Alto, CA
North Santa Clara County Office Building, Palo Alto, CA
First National Bank of San Jose, San Jose, CA
First National Bank of San Jose, Palo Alto, CA
The Stockton Record, Stockton, CA
The Bethel Corporations, San Francisco, CA
The Emporium, San Francisco, CA
Mountain View Municipal Swimming Pool, Mountain View, CA
First California State Capital building, Monterey, CA

Selected Public and Private Collections

Bogel and Gates, Attorneys at Law, Seattle, WA
Mr. William Bryant, San Francisco, CA
Mr. and Mrs. Benbow Bullock, Vallejo, CA
Burma-America Institute, Rangoon, Burma (Myanmar)
Drs. Gordon and Dorothy Carlson, Bellevue, WA
Mr. Edwin Duerst, Washington D.C.
Embassy of Argentina, Tel Aviv, Israel
Institute of Design, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, IL
Nina Ferrari and Dr. Gal LaSalle, Vashon, WA
Mr. John Fuerst, Seattle, WA
Mr. and Mrs. Edward L. Ginzton, Los Altos Hills, CA
Mr. James Hartman, Freeland, WA
Mr. Richard Hesik
Hewlett-Packard Company, Palo Alto, CA
Kaiser Hospital, Oakland, CA
Microsoft, Inc., Redmond, WA
Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art, University of Utah, Logan,UT
Oregon Health Sciences University, Portland, OR
Pacific First Bank, Seattle, WA
Portland Art Museum, Portland, OR
Mr. and Mrs. Douglas Raff, Seattle, WA
Mr. and Mrs. John Rahn, Seattle, WA
Joan Wellborn Robbins
J.R. Ross
Safeco
Seattle Art Museum
Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence Shaw, Mill Valley, CA
Tacoma Art Museum
Mr. Peter Walker, San Francisco, CA
Mr. Frank Walsh, Palo Alto, CA
Robin Wassong, Seattle, WA
Lawrence Whitaker, Seattle, WA
William Wikstrom, Seattle, WA
Mr. and Mrs. Howard Glazer

Selected Bibliography
2007
Farr, Sheila, Mary Henry: 93 years of life and art, Seattle Times, February 23
Faigin, Gary, Mary Henry at Wright Exhibition Space through March 30; Mary Henry Howard House through March 15, artdish, February 15
Hackett, Regina, Artist fuses geometric abstractions in a celebration of life, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, February 2

2004
Allan, Lois, Northwest Matriarchs of Modernism: Twelve Proto-feminists from Oregon and Washington catalog for traveling exhibit
D.K. Row, review of Hallie Ford Museum exhibt at Willamette University, The Oregonian, December 4
Blake, Victoria, Mary Henry at Hallie Ford Museum, The Oregonian, December 13

2000
Gragg, Randy, Critic’s Choice, The Oregonian, January 8, illus.
Gragg, Randy, Abstract Attraction of Mary Henry, The Oregonian, January 31, illus.

1996
Corporate Council of the Arts Annual Poster Award, Standard

1995
Ted Lindgerg, Living for Geometry, Mary Henry Constructivist Paintings, Reflex, December

1993
Regina Hackett, Review of Tacoma Art Museum, Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Regina Hackett, Hope to Technology, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, January 4
Lyn Smallwood, Shape Shifters, Seattle Weekly, February 17
Lois Allan, Westwood Elders Filtering Experiences, Reflex, March/April

1992
Matthew Kangas, Mary Henry: American Constuctivist, Woman’s Art Journal, Vol. 12, Fall 1991 / Winter 1992, illus. with color cover
Regina Hackett, review of Northwest Annual at Center on Contemporary Art, Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Matthew Kangas, review of Mary Henry Paintings and Drawings, The Seattle Times, December 11

1991
Laura Brunsman, review of Cliff Michel Gallery exhibition, Reflex, January-February, illus.
Randy Gragg, Critics Choice, The Oregonian, January 8, illus.
Randy Gragg, Abstract Attraction of Mary Henry, The Oregonian, January 31, illus.

1990
Matthew Kangas, Meditations on Proportion, review of Cliff Michel Gallery exhibition, Artweek, November 22, illus.

1989
Hackett, Regina, review of Center on Contemporary Art Northwest Annual, Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Smallwood, Lyn, Mary Henry, Seattle, Cliff Michel Gallery, ARTnews, November, illus.
Matthew Kangas, Bumberbiennale: Decade of Abstraction 1979 – 1989, The Arts-Newsletter of the King County Arts Commission, August, illus.
Hackett, Regina review of Cliff Michel Gallery exhibition, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, August, 18, illus.

1988
Brown, Richard L., Mary Henry: Paintings and Drawings, curatorial statement, Pacific Lutheran University
Kangas, Matthew, Bellingham, Washington: Mary Henry at the Whatcom Museum, Art in America, November, illus.
Kellogg, Marjorie, Town of Los Altos Hills Newsletter
Kellogg, Marjorie, Los Altos Hills Muralist, Town Crier, April 20, illus.
Olbrantz, John, Mary Henry: Selected Work, curatorial statement, Whatcom Museum of History and Art
Kangas, Matthew, Mary Henry: American Constructivist, review of Pacific

1987
Kangas, Matthew, Bumberbiennale: Seattle Painting 1927 – 1987. Seattle: Bumbershoot
Kangas, Matthew, Bumberbiennale: Seattle Sculpture 1927 – 1987. Seattle: Bumbershoot

1985
Eastlick, Lorinda, ...artist produces bold, powerful murals, South Whidbey Record, September 24

1984
Kangas, Matthew, S I Z E. Seattle: Bumbershoot
Schnoor, Christopher R., September Art, VISION, Fall

1981
West, Harvey, The Washington Year 1980-1981, Henry Art Gallery, University of Washington

1971
Weaver, Gay M., Mary Henry Paintings Decorative, Palo Alto Times, November 6
Anonymous, Palo Alto Times, October 22

1969
French, Palmer D., review of Arleigh Gallery exhibition, Artforum, October, illus.
Anonymous, review of Arleigh Gallery exhibition, Palo Alto Times, July 29
Anonymous, review of Sterling Associates exhibition, West Art, November 5v