Mildred Clarke von Kienbusch

On view

American Art
Wilmerding Pavilion
Philip & Nancy Anschutz Gallery

Mildred Clarke von Kienbusch,

1914

Robert Henri, 1865–1929; born Cincinnati, OH; died New York, NY
y1977-26
In 1914, Mildred von Kienbusch and her husband, Carl, attended a New York exhibition featuring paintings by The Eight, a short-lived group of mostly former newspaper illustrators formed in 1908 to protest the conservative atmosphere and restrictive exhibition policies of the city’s National Academy of Design. Attracted to the gritty, vital aesthetic of the group’s leader, Robert Henri, the enterprising couple looked him up in the phone book. The eventual result was this portrait, characteristic of Henri’s work at the time in its subdued palette enlivened by splashes of bright color. Carl von Kienbusch became a major benefactor of Princeton University and donated the painting to the Museum in memory of his wife.
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More Context

Early in 1914, Mildred Clarke von Kienbusch and her husband, Carl Otto, attended a New York exhibition of paintings by The Eight, a group consisting of former newspaper illustrators like Robert Henri, its founder, who had come together in frustration over the perceived rarefied atmosphere at the National Academy of Design and its restrictive exhibition policies. Attracted to Henri’s grittily vital aesthetic, the young von Kienbusches looked him up in the telephone book. The eventual result was this portrait — characteristic of Henri’s work at the time in its subdued palette enlivened by splashes of bright color — which Carl, who subsequently became one of the Museum’s major benefactors, donated in memory of his wife.

Information

Title
Mildred Clarke von Kienbusch
Dates

1914

Maker
Robert Henri
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
61 × 51 cm (24 × 20 1/16 in.) frame: 81.8 × 71 × 8.9 cm (32 3/16 × 27 15/16 × 3 1/2 in.)
Credit Line
Bequest of Carl Otto von Kienbusch, Class of 1906, for the Carl Otto von Kienbusch Jr. Memorial Collection
Object Number
y1977-26
Place Made

North America, United States, New York, New York

Signatures
Signed in paint, lower right: Robert Henri
Culture
American
Type
paintings, oil paintings
Materials
canvas, oil paint
Subject
women, portraits, red, brown, yellow, orange yellow, green (color), blue, white (color), wives, flowers (plants), flowers (plants), tortoise shell

Commissioned by Carl Otto von Kienbusch and his wife Mildred Clarke, the sitter, 1914; donated to the Princeton University Art Museum by Carl Otto von Kienbusch, 1977.

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The Museum regularly researches its objects and their collecting histories, updating its records to reflect new information. We also strive to catalogue works of art using language that is consistent with how people, subjects, artists, and cultures describe themselves. As this effort is ongoing, the Museum’s records may be incomplete or contain terms that are no longer acceptable. We welcome your feedback, questions, and additional information that you feel may be useful to us. Email us at collectionsinfo@princeton.edu.

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