Grace Henry

Grace Henry (nee Mitchell) was born in Scotland into a wealthy family and was educated in her home by governesses, before completing her education at a finishing school in London. She exhibited in Scotland before, like many of her contemporaries, moving to Europe to continue her artistic studies working in Brussels and Paris where she met her future husband Paul Henry. They were married in London in 1903 where they lived for a number of years before moving to Ireland. After spending seven years in the remote area of Achill they returned to Dublin in 1919, where that soon became associated with other artists who shared their interest in modern art, and in 1920 she was a founding member of the Society of Dublin Painters.

After her separation from Paul, Grace Henry spent some time travelling in Europe, mostly in Italy and France. In 1924 she studied with the Cubist painter Andre Lhote, possibly on the advice of Mainie Jellett, but his formal geometric emphasis appears to have had little influence on her more expressive personal style. Grace Henry spent a number of years travelling in the South of France and in Italy, although she continued to exhibit at the Royal Hibernian Academy and other Dublin galleries.

In the later years of her life Grace Henry travelled extensively, staying for short periods in a number of different places. She often stayed in inexpensive Dublin hotels, and due to her nomadic lifestyle many of her paintings have not survived. She did not write about her life and little documentary evidence has survived. For these reasons her work was overlooked for many years but recent reassessment has restored her position.