Robert Henri Museum debuts new art gallery with soft opening

While much of the exhibit focuses on honoring Henri’s career, the gallery also pays tribute to his two wives, Linda Craige and Marjorie Organ, and Henri’s students from over the years, as well as the former American Legion building that was demolished to make way for the art gallery.

Ally Goad, a summer intern at the museum, guided the Clipper-Herald through the exhibit, highlighting Henri’s artistic journey and influence.

One of the first works Goad introduced was a large canvas titled “The Beach at Far Rockaway,” on loan from the Collection of Paulsen Inc.

Goad said the piece honors Ike Paulsen and his wife, Shirley Paulsen, one of the museum’s founders in the early 1980s.

Goad shared Henri’s early work from his time in Cozad between 1873 and 1884, followed by his creations in Atlantic City, Philadelphia and across Europe, including England, France, Germany, Belgium, Spain, Ireland and Italy.

While the museum features original Henri works, Goad said the back portion of the gallery includes canvases that experts have since determined were likely not created by Henri himself.

One such piece is “Sophisticated Lady,” an oil canvas once attributed to Henri. Goad said the finely rendered hands on the piece have raised doubts.

“Henri didn’t usually focus on drawing hands in his portraits,” Goad said. “The detail in this one is so precise that some believe one of his students painted it.”

During Henri’s travels in Europe, Goad said, “he would often choose children at random to sit as models. He’d pay them about 25 cents, which was a generous amount back then.”

According to Goad, one of Henri’s final portraits of a child was completed about a year and a half before he died in 1929 in New York.

The center of the exhibit features more of Henri’s work, primarily sketches, along with pieces by his students.

Goad said Henri was ahead of his time in accepting female students — an uncommon practice in the U.S. during that era.

Among some of Henri’s female pupils highlighted in the museum are Elizabeth Grandin and Minerva Teichert.

Museum Executive Director Peter Osborne spoke about the museum’s progress since he last spoke with the Clipper-Herald in November 2024 on the museum’s early construction.

Osborne said the museum’s walls, initially made of concrete with Styrofoam, have undergone a dramatic transformation, with only a few remaining details, such as exterior signage and indoor lighting, to be completed.

The soft opening drew substantial public interest, and Osborne said he was “really surprised at how many people came today.”

Osborne anticipates an official ribbon-cutting in mid-August. He said the timing is strategic, allowing six weeks’ notice for government officials and key donors to be recognized.

Osborne said he is tentatively targeting Aug. 15 for the formal opening.

Osborne expressed gratitude to everyone he had worked with leading up to the soft opening while also recognizing Goad, board member Chuck Birgen and summer intern Brooke Brockman.