La Madrileñita

Arts of the Americas

1910

Robert Henri
American, 1865–1929

Robert Henri dedicated his career to painting portraits of those he called “my people,” namely, sitters who evoked a personal response in the artist. He found many appealing subjects while traveling in Spain, including matadors and picadors, gypsies, dressmakers, and performers. Henri admired the subject of La Madrileñita, a 15-year-old dancer named Josefa Cruz, for her talent and traditional training, as he later recalled: “Although very young she was already a very remarkable dancer at the time the painting was done, and it seemed to me that she had in her carriage … much of the spirit and dignity of old Spain.” Henri painted six
portraits of Cruz; in this version, completed over the course of two days, she turns her head to look over her shoulder, directly engaging the viewer in a poised and assured manner. Her enigmatic smile bears a sense of mystery that is heightened by the darkness beyond.

Status: Currently Off View
Department: Arts of the Americas

Artist: Robert Henri
Title: La Madrileñita
Place: Spain (Object made in:)
Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.: 1910
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 58.4 × 48.3 cm (23 × 19 in.)
Credit Line: Bequest of Barbara S. Danielson
Reference Number: 2014.1000

Annual report (Art Institute of Chicago, 2014–15) online only.

New York, Macbeth Galleries, 1923.
New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Robert Henry Memorial Exhibition, Mar. 9–Apr. 19, 1931; cat. 49; MD, Baltimore Museum of Art, The Robert Henri Memorial Exhibition, May 1931.
New York, Hirschl & Adler Galleries, Robert Henri: A Commemorative Exhibition, Mar. 31–Apr. 30, 1954, cat. 33.
New York, Chapellier Galleries, Inc. Robert Henri, 1865–1929, Oct. 15–Nov. 27, 1976, cat. 49.
Orlando Museum of Art, My People: the Portraits of Ropbert Henri, Oct. 22, 1994–Jan. 8, 1995; Ft. Lauderdale Museum of Art, Feb. 5–Apr. 2, 1995; Georgia, Columbus Museum, Apr. 30–June 25, 1995, cat. 27.
Florida, Winter Park, Rollins College, Cornell Fine Arts Museum, The Independents: The Ashcan School & Their Circle from Florida Collections, Mar. 8–May 5, 1996, cat. 2.

The artist; to the estate of the artist, from 1929 until at least 1976 [with Chapellier Galleries, Inc., New York, from 1964]; to private collection, Winter Park, FL; sold at Christie’s New York, December 4, 1997, lot 68, to Barbara S. Danielson; bequeathed to the Art Institute of Chicago, 2014.

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

Suggested Terms

Currently Off View

Date:

Artist:

About this artwork

Status

Department

Artist

Title

Place

Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

Medium

Dimensions

Credit Line

Reference Number

Extended information about this artwork

Publication History

Exhibition History

Provenance

Share

Explore Further

Sign up for our enewsletter to receive updates.

Gallery actions

Image actions

Share