Henry Hensche

Who was Henry Hensche?

Henry Hensche was an American painter and teacher. Born in Gelsenkirchen,Germany, Henry Hensche came to the United States by way of the port of Antwerp, Belgium. He is listed on the ship's manifest as age 11 years old when he arrived at Ellis Island aboard the British steamship S.S. Kroonland on March 3, 1909, along with his sister Erna, and his father Fritz..His mother is thought to have died before he was two, although this is not verified. She was either unable or unwilling to travel to America with the family.

At the age of 17 Hensche began to work in the stockyards. He aspired to work with Frank Lloyd Wright, the famous architect who was active in Chicago, but several of Hensche's teachers encouraged him to apply to the Art Institute of Chicago. Hensche applied and, “I was surprised that they did take me...and that was my start in the painting world...” Hensche studied the old masters and their techniques, but was drawn to the work of the Impressionists which were on exhibit. Several students at the Institute had previously studied with Charles Webster Hawthorne at the Cape Cod School of Art. Hensche admired their techniques with color and decided to leave the Institute and travel to Provincetown, Massachusetts. By the spring of 1919 he had made it to the Art Students League in New York City and took classes with, among others, George Bellows.