Artist Profile: Henry Tanner

Tanner was born June 21, 1859 in Pittsburgh, PA. Son of Benjamin Tucker Tanner who was a bishop, and Sarah Turner. Brother to Halle Tanner Dillon Johnson. He loved art since he was 13 and would draw and paint as much as he could. His father was not as enthusiastic as he was, he objected to it. That didn't stop Tanner, he ended up attending PA of the Fine Arts. Tanner became successful in the art world becoming critically admired by the mid 1890's, with "The Banjo Lesson" as one of his most famous paintings. In 1890
Tanner married Jessie Macauley Olssen, a white American singer and continued with his art. Tanner used mostly oil paint for his paintings and was associated with the realism and Harlem Renaissance movements. Tanner was found dead May 25th, 1937 in his home in Paris.