Michel Henry

 Michel Henri is a master French painter representing the second half
 of the 20th century, and was awarded France's highest award,
 the Légion d'Honneur, and his works are stored in museums such as  
the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Paris. He is known as the artist of
 flowers and happiness because he uses bright colors to paint pictures
 with a sense of happiness, and because he paints a lot of poppies,
 he is named the king of poppies in the Unites states.He is Born
 in Langres, France in 1928, passed away in the suburbs of Paris
 in 2016

Michel Henry purchase page

 1928 Born in 1928 in Langres, a fortified city built by the ancient Romans
 in western France. 

 1947 - Entered the National School of Fine Arts in Paris.
 He studied in a class of Narbonne, which specializes in powerful
 compositions. Bernard Buffet was in the same class, but he dropped out. 

 1950~: He studied in the class of Chaplain-Midi, a class with
 beautiful colors, and graduated at the top of its class.
 Cassignol entered Chaplain-Midi's junior class, and his second
 Interview for admission was Michel Henry.

 1954 He was dispatched to Barcelona as a representative of the Paris
 School of Fine Arts and exhibiting works.

 

 1955: Dispatched to Berlin as a representative of the Paris School of
 Fine Arts and exhibits work and wins Taylor Prize 

 1956: Received the Descartes House Prize and studied abroad
 at the Descartes House in Amsterdam on government scholarship.
 

 1957-58: Study abroad in Madrid after winning the Casa de Velázquez
 Prize. 

 1958-1965: Contracted with Galerie Romanée, a top gallery in Matignon, Paris 

 1960: Recipient of the Palais Royal Award and the Silver Prize
 at the Paris City Exhibition.From this year, he left behind the dark
 atmosphere of the post-war painting style and began painting
 with bright colors. 

 1961 Winner of the Henri Farman Prize

 1965 National Art Association Young Painter Award 

 1965-2010 lived in Former Chagall atelier on Rue Leclerc
 in Montparnasse Paris.
 

 1967-1985 Contracted with American gallery Walley Findlay Gallery
 <Paris, Chicago, Palm Beach, New York, London> During this period,
 he traveled to the United states every year. 

 1974 Visited Iran as a representative of Salone d'Automne and
 Met with the King of Iran 

 1975 Solo exhibition in Geneva 

 1977 Received the French Artists Association Gold Medal 

 1981: Awarded the Knighthood of the Legion d'Honneur;
 Received the French National Horticultural Society Gold Award 

 1982 Solo exhibition in Geneva

 1983 Appointed as Secretary General of Salone d'Automne 

 1984: Awarded the Knighthood of the Order of Agricultural Merit.
 Michel Henry retrospective at Salone d'Automne 

 In 1985, he came to Japan for the first time as a representative
 of Salone d'Automne and showing his work at the National Museum
 of Western Art in Ueno, Tokyo. 

 Bernardo, a French Limoges ware company, produces and
 sells pottery with designs by Michel Henri. 

 1986 Received the Paris City Special Award
 

 In 1987, Michel Henry's paintings were showing in Japan
 as part of the World Orchid Exposition. 

 1989-1995: Contracted with Etienne Sassy Gallery in Avenue Matignon
 Michel Henry and Brasilier became Etienne Sassy Galery's
 Two stars artists.

 1990 Appointed vice president of Salone d'Automne 

 1991 Salon de Villers Gold Award
 Retrospective exhibition at Château de Sédières led
 by Madame Chirac wife of President of French Republic 

 1992 Japanese cement company Onoda Cement (currently Taiheiyo Cement)
 selected Michel Henry's paintings for their 1994-95 painting calendar 

 Solo exhibitions at Etienne Sassy Gallery in Paris and New York 

 1993 Solo exhibitions in Lille, France and Munich, Germany 

 1994: Came to Japan as vice-chairman of Salone d'Automne to prepare
 for the next year's Japan feature Solo exhibition in Brussels 

 1994 - Signed an exclusive contract with Japan's Adekat Co., Ltd.
 (Galerie Adekat) Visited Japan every year from the following year
 Until 2009.

 1995 - In France, Michel Henry signs a contract with
 the Alexander Léodouse Gallery in Avenue Matignon. 

 Michel Henrie exhibition at Alexander Leodze Gallery in Paris ⇓ 

 1996, Adeka Co., Ltd. (Galerie Adeka) invited Michel Henrie
 to Japan and held an exhibition of Michel Henri's paintings in Japan
 at Nihonbashi Tokyu Department Store, Tokyu Toyoko store and
 Gallery Adekat of Sunshine City French Chamber of Commerce and
 Industry Exhibition Hall. 

 1997 Michel Henry offers an oil painting for auction in New York
 to benefit the Children's Eye Disease Research Foundation.
 The organizer, Princess Marianne Bernadette of Sweden,
 paid a courtesy visit to Michel Henry's atelier and at the same time
 sent a letter saying that Michel Henry's paintings were the highlight
 of the charity auction.

Appointed chairman at the 2nd Calvi Contemporary Art Exhibition

Solo exhibition at Château de Vicsouse

Adeka Co., Ltd. (Galerie Adeka) invites Michel Henry to Japan and holds a Michel Henry Okinawa Art Exhibition at Okinawa Mitsukoshi. Messages are sent to Michel Henry from Princess Ariane Bernadotte of Sweden, former wife of Prime Minister Raymond Barr, and Princess of Orléans. Manager of Okinawa Mitsukoshi ( receives a warm welcome from the former Paris branch )

Letter from Mrs. Raymond Barre and translation

Michel Henry and Matsumoto, the store manager, and Yasuhiro Takeda of Galerie Adeka at the Michel Henry exhibition in Okinawa.

In 1998 , Adeka Corporation (Galerie Adeka) invited Michel Henry to Japan and held an exhibition at the Kobe Oriental Hotel and Printemps Ginza in Tokyo.

Kobe Oriental Hotel holds Michel Henry Art Exhibition as the main event of the French Fair in the Year of France in Japan. Michel Henry is invited to the Hyogo Prefecture Guest House by Hyogo Prefecture Governor Kaihara, and is presented with the key to Hyogo Prefecture and treated as an honorary citizen. Michel Henry appears on Kobe Sun TV and sends a message of encouragement to the Kobe citizens who are recovering from the earthquake disaster.

Michel Henry pays a courtesy visit to Consul General Alan Naumm of Osaka-Kobe.

To commemorate the opening of an art exhibition by Michel Henry at Printemps Ginza, President Chieko Ishii asked Michel Henry to create a mural, and Michel Henry responded to President Ishii's request by painting a mural at Printemps Ginza.

Michel Henry's painting on the wall of Printemps Ginza

The Hinode Misaki Hotel in Omu-cho, Hokkaido, decorates the hotel with Michel Henry's oil paintings and creates a Michel Henry Gallery.

In front of Michel Henry's oil painting on display at the Hotel Hinode Misaki

Under the special patronage of French President Jacques Chirac, a Michel Henry exhibition will be held at Chateau de Val, a castle floating on a lake in central France. It will attract 300,000 visitors over the course of three months. Lithograph posters and original lithographs of Chateau de Val created by Michel Henry will be sold for charity. Michel Henry will donate the proceeds to the restoration costs of Chateau de Val.

In 1999, Michel Henry produced and released the original lithograph print series "Michel Henry's Paris 2000 " to commemorate the year 2000. Michel Henry's Paris 2000 is a series of 20 original lithograph prints depicting 20 famous sites in Paris, including the Arc de Triomphe and the Louvre Museum.

Adeka Co., Ltd. (Galerie Adeka) invited Michel Henry to Japan and held an exhibition of his paintings at Printemps Ginza and Chiba Mitsukoshi. At Gallery Adeka in the French Chamber of Commerce and Industry Exhibition Hall in Sunshine, Michel Henry will hold an autograph session at each venue.

In 2000, Hyogo Prefecture held the Japan Flora 2000 Flower and Greenery Exposition to commemorate the recovery from the earthquake disaster. Governor Kaihara Toshitami, as a representative of the French National Horticultural Society, invited Michel Henry, an honorary citizen of Hyogo Prefecture, Alan Naum, Consul General of France in Kobe and Osaka, and Takeda Yasuhiro of the Galerie Idega, and all three attended.

Michel Henry at the Japan Flora venue

Adeka Co., Ltd. (Galerie Adeka) invites Michel Henry to Japan and holds Michel Henry Japan Art Exhibitions at Nagoya Mitsukoshi, Shinjuku Takashimaya, and Kyoto Daimaru.

In 2001, Adeka Corporation (Galerie Adeka) invited Michel Henry to Japan and held the Michel Henry Japan Exhibition at Ikebukuro Mitsukoshi and the Michel Henry Japan Art Exhibition at Chiba Mitsukoshi.

Ambassador Gourdau-Montagne and Galerie Adeka will host a welcome party for Michel Henry at the French Ambassador's residence. Ambassador Gourdau-Montagne and his wife will welcome guests at the cocktail party. Michel Henry will attend the welcome party accompanied by Dewi Sukarno, the former wife of Indonesia's President, who is a collector of Michel Henry's paintings. Opera singer Masashi Akikawa will also attend at the invitation of Dewi Sukarno. Galerie Adeka's Yasuhiro Takeda will act as MC.

The French ambassador and Michel Henry introducing Michel Henry

Ambassador's wife, Gallery Adeka Yasuhiro Takeda

Debbie, opera singer Masashi Akikawa and others who attended the party

In 2002, Adeka Co., Ltd. (Galerie Adeka) invited Michel Henry to Japan and held a Michel Henry Japan Exhibition at Sapporo Mitsukoshi and Okayama Tenmaya Main Store. Sapporo Cultural Broadcasting gave extensive coverage to Michel Henry's visit to Japan at Sapporo Mitsukoshi, and Michel Henry, Sapporo Cultural Broadcasting President and Honorary Consul in Sapporo Yoshikazu Kinashi, First Secretary of the French Embassy Fieskey, and Gilles Guiot, President of the Alliance Française Sapporo, attended the opening party together with Michel Henry, Galle Adeka, and Yasuhiro Takeda.

A welcome party for Michel Henry will be held by Kenichi Tahara, the mayor of Omu Town, who runs the town-run Hotel Hinode Misaki, which is decorated with paintings by Michel Henry. Along with Michel Henry, First Secretary Fieskey of the French Embassy, ​​Gilles Guiot, President of the Alliance Française Sapporo, and Yasuhiro Takeda of Galerie Adeka will also be attending.

2003

The Honorary Consul of France in Sapporo, Yoshikazu Kinashi, President of Sapporo Cultural Broadcasting, and Yasuhiro Takeda, President of Galerie Adeka, will visit Michel Henry's hometown of Langres as a mission for Omu Town. The purpose is to deepen the friendly relationship between Omu Town, where the Michel Henry Gallery is located, and Langres, where the Michel Henry Museum is planned. The Mayor of Langres will hold a welcome party, with Matsubara, Consul of Japan in Alsace, in attendance. The party attendees are the Mayor of Langres, Michel Henry, Yoshikazu Kinashi, Consul Matsubara, and Patrice de la Périère, President of Univers d'Arts magazine.

Mr. Legros, a notable man from Langres, decides to purchase an old building in Langres and turn it into the Michel Henry Museum.

Principal of Esmod Gakuen Paris, Satoru Nino, held a welcome party for Yoshikazu Kinashi at his home, and guests included Yoshikazu Kinashi, Michel Henry, former NHK news anchor Hisanori Isomura, former NHK European bureau chief, the first director of the Japan Cultural Center in Paris and his wife, Patrice de la Perrière, president of Univers des Arts magazine and his wife, and Galerie Adeka Yasuhiro Takeda.

Adeka Co., Ltd. (Galerie Adeka) invited Michel Henry to Japan and held the Michel Henry Japan Art Exhibition at Ikebukuro Mitsukoshi, Sendai Mitsukoshi, Hakata Daimaru, and Gallery Kimura in Kyobashi, Osaka.

The Michel Henry Japan Art Exhibition at Gallery Kimura will be attended by Philippe Chataigneux, Consul General of France in Kobe and Osaka, and former Osaka mayor Mr. and Mrs. Oshima.

At the Michel Henry Art Exhibition at Sendai Mitsukoshi, Sendai TV gave extensive coverage of the exhibition. The Honorary Consul of France in Sapporo and President of Sapporo Cultural Broadcasting, Kinashi Yoshikazu, visited the venue and reunited with Michel Henry and Galerie Adeka Takeda Yasuhiro. Mayor Kanno Norio of Iitate Village, Fukushima Prefecture, and his wife also visited the exhibition. Mayor Kanno had a desire to create a museum of love, peace, flowers and happiness in Iitate Village, in honor of Raymond Peynet and Michel Henry.

Michel Henry and Galerie Adeka Yasuhiro Takeda are invited to Hakata by Kazuo Ota, chairman of Hakata Daimaru and president of the Fukuoka Nikko Hotel. The Nikko Hotel purchases a painting by Michel Henry and displays it in the hotel.

Michel Henry at the Hankyu International Hotel decorated with paintings by Michel Henry, Philippe Chataigneux, Consul General of France in Osaka, Satoru Nino, Principal of Esmode Gakuen Paris, Eiji Ogasawara, Vice President of Kobe Franco-Japanese Association, Yasuhiro Takeda, President of Galerie Adeka ⇓

Organized by the Midi-Pyrenees region, where Alby is located, a retrospective of Michel Henry will be held at the Moulin Albigens, adjacent to the Lautrec Museum in Alby, Lautrec's hometown, with approximately 200 of Michel Henry's oil paintings on display. Michel Henry and Gale Adeka's Takeda Yasuhiro will attend and be interviewed by a local TV station. Univers des Arts magazine will run a feature article on the exhibition. ⇓

2004

Galerie Adeka's Takeda Yasuhiro becomes Secretary General and establishes the Michel Henry Friendship Society. Isomura Hisanori, former NHK news anchor, former NHK European Bureau Chief and first Director of the Japan Cultural Center, Paris, becomes Chairman. Kaihara Toshitami, Governor of Hyogo Prefecture, Katagiri Shoju, President of Fusosha Publishing, Ota Kazuo, President of the Fukuoka Hotel JAL, and Kinashi Yoshikazu, Honorary Consul of France in Sapporo and President of Sapporo Cultural Broadcasting, become officers.

Adeka Co., Ltd. (Galerie Adeka) invited Michel Henry to Japan and held a Michel Henry Japan Art Exhibition at Nihonbashi Mitsukoshi, Kobe Daimaru, and Hiroshima Mitsukoshi. Michel Henry and Galerie Adeka's Yasuhiro Takeda paid a courtesy visit to Hyogo Prefecture Governor Ido.

Michel Henry Japan Exhibition at Kobe Daimaru

Governor Ido of Hyogo Prefecture, Michel Henry, Eiji Ogasawara, Vice President of the Kobe Franco-Japanese Association, Galerie Adeka Takeda

June 2005: Michel Henry and French Masters Exhibition held at the Ebisu Winstin Hotel as a special invitational event for Isetan Department Store customers (Michel Henry, Picasso, Chagall, Utrillo, etc. were exhibited).

November: Michel Henry's Japan Art Exhibition held at Shinjuku Isetan, Matsudo Isetan and Fuchu Isetan

2006 Michel Henry Art Exhibition at Nihonbashi Mitsukoshi

Michel Henry Art Exhibition at Sendai Mitsukoshi

Michel Henry Exhibition at Yokohama Intercontinental Hotel

In 2007, the luxury hotel Hermitage Gantroy in Lille, the capital of northern France, held a retrospective of Michel Henry. Gale Adeka's Yasuhiro Takeda was invited from Japan.

Michel Henry Exhibition at Ikebukuro Tobu

Michel Henry Exhibition at Kobe Daimaru 

Michel Henry Exhibition at Hiroshima Mitsukoshi

Michel Henry Exhibition at Okayama Tenmaya

2008: Michel Henry exhibition held at Nihonbashi Mitsukoshi

Michel Henry's Japan Exhibition held at Fukuyama Tenmaya (broadcast by Hiroshima TV)

Michel Henry Exhibition at Nagoya Mitsukoshi

2009 Kobe Daimaru holds Michel Henry art exhibition

Michel Henry's Japan Art Exhibition held at Kyoto Daimaru

Hakone Odakyu Highland Hotel Gallery hosts Michel Henry exhibition

2011: Gold Award at the Paris Exhibition. Michel Henry's solo exhibition held at the Visserie Gallery in Paris and Cannes.

2012 Michel Henry Exhibition at Nihonbashi Mitsukoshi  

Michel Henry Art Exhibition held at Kobe Daimaru

2013: Exhibited as the main artist at the Nihonbashi Mitsukoshi French Contemporary Art World Exhibition

Michel Henry Exhibition held at Sapporo Mitsukoshi

2014: A retrospective of Michel Henry was held by the city of Antony, a suburb of Paris.

Announcement of the Michel Henry retrospective at the venue

Died on December 25, 2016 in the suburbs of Paris

Other Michel Henry exhibitions in Japan (Shinsaibashi Daimaru, Kyoto Daimaru, Umeda Daimaru, Okayama Tenmaya, Takamatsu Tenmaya, Hiroshima Mitsukoshi, Umeda Daimaru Kichijoji Tokyu, Tama Plaza Tokyu, Machida Tokyu, Machida Odakyu, Iwaki Daikokuya)

 

2. Collector of artworks

Collectors : Museum of Modern Art, Bogota Museum, Valence Museum, Langres Museum, Beirut Museum, Orleans Museum, Saudi Arabian Royal Family, Monaco Royal Family, Swedish Royal Family, Dutch Royal Family, Norwegian Royal Family, former French President Jacques Chirac, former French Prime Minister Raymond Barr, French actress Jeanne Moreau, American actress Greda Garbo, Calgary Rock Hotel, Hankyu International Hotel, Fukuoka Nikko Hotel, Juntendo Hospital , etc.

3. Awards and Medals

Gold Prize at the Paris Exhibition, Gold Prize at the French Artists Association, Gold Prize at the Salon d'Automne, Gold Prize at the Young Artists Exhibition, Gold Prize at the Salon de Ville, and many others.

Legion of Honor, Agricultural Merit Award

4: Letter from Michel Henry to Galerie Azide 2006

 

I am a nature painter. I love trees, fields, forests, flowers, fruits, everything. That's why I received the Agricultural Merit Award. This is an award that many people hope to receive, but it is rare for an artist to receive it. This work is a bouquet of wild flowers. It is a very simple and rustic work. Without the painter, the cork quillcot would not have been so highly awarded. Because when it is cut and put in a vase, it fades quickly. Without the painter, we would never see the cork quillcot in a vase with other flowers. Because even if the other flowers bloom for a long time, the cork quillcot will soon wilt, so it cannot be arranged together. In other words, it is the painter's magic that keeps the cork quillcot blooming without withering. The magic is the painter's imagination. Ordinary flowers survive by absorbing water from the vase, but the cork quillcot, on the other hand, has its sap flowing into the water and quickly withers. If you put a cork oak in a vase of water, it will wither and wilt surprisingly quickly. It is a mystery of nature. A cork oak is a delicate flower. The artist's magic is to give eternal life to a cork oak that will wither in an instant on a canvas.

5. Magazine articles

5-1: Univers des Arts magazine, July-August 2013 issue

Michel Henry Special

At the recent exhibition of artists from Marais, Michel Henry's presence also attracted attention. Although Michel Henry is extremely modest, he always has a large presence in the art market.

Michel Henry is one of the most active figurative painters of his generation. He has been a highly valued painter who has been consistently supported by the French for 40 years. This is immediately evident when you look at the list of his collectors and patrons. His paintings have continued to fascinate the president and his wife, ministers, national dignitaries, famous actors and singers, and more. If you are invited to the beautiful living rooms of the French elite, you will see Michel Henry's paintings.

Today, Michel Henry takes part in many events, his paintings are exhibited, exported and sold. They are important items at auctions, attracting customers from Europe, America, Asia, Japan and Korea. In these countries, the master Michel Henry is cherished as a rare and outstanding painter. The clear and transparent nature of his matière (texture) is a testament to his unique talent and continues to create the eternal glory of beauty and love.

5-2: Univers des Arts magazine, April 2004 issue

Univers des Arts x Michel Henry Interview

Unipert des Arts magazine asks: Tell us about your paintings.

Michel Henry: For me, technique and knowledge of painting are very important. The older I get, the more I realize that talent alone is not enough. Talent only blossoms when it is backed by technique, that is, diligent practice. That's why you can't call yourself a painter after painting four or five pieces. A painting can't be done well by chance, or fail by chance. Amateur painters don't know why they did well or why they didn't, but professionals know the reason. If technique is the basis of everything, then drawing is the basis of technique. When looking at a tableau (oil painting), you should know that there is drawing, composition, and architecture under the colors. If you study great painters, you will understand that there is no painter who does not have a technique perfected through training. After completely mastering the technique, the painter's individuality is complete.

Uniperts des Arts Q: Which painter inspires you the most?

Michel Henry: My favorite painter? I prefer Vuillard to Bonnard, Stael to Klee. For me Vuillard is more vivid and straightforward. As for Stael, he starts from nature and reaches abstraction. Klee goes in the opposite direction, from abstraction to nature.

Uniperts des Arts Q: What about the Impressionists?

Michel Henry: Impressionism is too unanimously popular. Today, it seems to be self-contained, but it was only the fashion of a certain era. And yet, it seems as if French painting stopped in the century of Louis XV. Even if art reached a point of perfection in the age of Louis XV, it did not stop there.

Unipert des Arts Q: I'd like to ask you about your current inspirations. Do your inspirations change over time?

Michel Henry: My inspirations have always been the same, but they evolve. My first tableau was a bouquet of mimosas in front of a window. I painted the background from my imagination. The background I painted from my imagination was the ramparts of my hometown, Langres. I also painted a curtain.

Uniperts des Arts Q: How do you determine the originality of your paintings?

Michel Henry: For me, it was born from a fateful flaw. In other words, the flaw became its greatest charm. When I started painting, I was indifferent to valeur and only interested in color. For example, red is a muted valeur, but I thought it was a bright color, so I used it as a bright valeur. As a result, the background of the painting was bright, but I made it a muted color. Even so, it turned out to be quite a beautiful painting. For me, color takes precedence over valeur. I still remember my supervisor, Chaplin Midi, lamenting, "You were lucky enough to complete a painting ignoring valeur, but I always have to think about valeur when I paint."

Uniperts des Arts Q: Can you free yourself from the things you see and the motifs you create?

Michel Henry: Of course. Fortunately, painting is an artificial object, so it does not represent the reality we see, but rather the artist sees what lies behind that reality.

Uniperts des Arts Q: So would it be fair to say that you are blessed with an extremely rich imagination?

Michel Henry: I don't know. I learn from everything. For example, when I go for a walk, I walk while looking at my surroundings. When I start to paint a tableau, I already know what to do. Sometimes the idea is not completely solidified, but suddenly it strikes me as I go along.

Uniperts des Arts Q: Correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems like you draw quite quickly.

Michel Henry: Yes, I paint fast. There are good painters around me who paint faster. I am efficient. The speed of painting depends on the individuality of the painter. In "The Misanthrope," Molière says, "It is not the time that is spent that is good." The quality of a work is not proportional to the time spent on its creation. There are times when I am very lucky, and at those times I feel that I am exceeding my limits. I am surprised. I would say it is the magic of painting.

5-4: Univers des Arts magazine, June 2003 issue

Michel Henry Special

A work of art is meant to be viewed by someone. It is not something to be left in a corner of the studio without being seen by anyone. For a work of art to be alive is to be seen and to be moved. Michel Henry is not an egoist. He expresses quietly and poetically what he is moved by and sees. Anyone who visits the Estelle Gallery at the Musée de Juenne in Saint-Remy will encounter a well-balanced display of Michel Henry's works. The beauty of the pure lines, the transparent and shining reds, the browns that highlight the shining parts, and the delicate and outstanding talent of the painter transform the real world into the world of Michel Henry. Cherries, Coquelicot, and Parisian landscapes are everyday objects for us and do not deserve special mention, but these objects are transformed into an elegant world of paintings by Michel Henry. Bouquets in transparent vases are often placed on windowsills, and painted with Venetian churches and Notre Dame in the background, creating a magical and beautiful world. Michel Henry's talent for the crystal clarity, the lightness of his bouquets and the strength of his architectural drawings is often praised, and this cannot be denied. It is certainly true. But we also share the artist's admiration and passion for the simple and essential things in reality. Patrice de la Perrière