Henry Cohen
Born in Brooklyn, Henry remained a lifelong New Yorker whose artistic vision was deeply influenced by both art and architecture. He earned degrees in architecture from Cooper Union and civil engineering from New York University, applying his understanding of structure and design to create paintings of remarkable precision and complexity.
Henry's earliest works were inspired by the American Regionalist painter Thomas Hart Benton before expanding through the influence of the Mexican muralists José Clemente Orozco and Diego Rivera during a six-month visit to Mexico in 1946. Over the following decades, his paintings evolved from figurative compositions to sculptural forms and ultimately to the highly engineered geometric works of the 1970s and 1980s, capturing the rhythm, energy, and complexity of the urban environment.
Known for his extraordinary craftsmanship, Henry painted every line freehand using traditional sign painter's tools. Nothing was taped or mechanically masked, a testament to his patience, discipline, and remarkably steady hand.
A founding member of both the Granite Gallery and Spectrum Gallery, Henry exhibited extensively throughout New York and beyond, including solo and group exhibitions at the John Weber Gallery, Alexander Milliken Gallery, Medici-Berenson Gallery, Newark Museum, New York University's Loeb Gallery, and the 92nd Street Y. His work is represented in the collections of Prudential Insurance Company, the Cleveland Museum, the New York City Board of Education, and numerous private collections.
