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American Impressionist, Henrietta Milan, was born in Chicago, Illinois to parents of Czechoslovakian and Polish decent. Growing up in Chicago, Milan studied at Gage Park High School and Depaul University. Later after moving to Texas, she attended the University of Texas at Austin. Henrietta currently resides in Texas with Jerry, her husband of 44 years.

Henrietta is greatly influenced by her extensive travels throughout Europe observing French Impressionism at the Louvre, the Musee D'Orsay and especially in Giverny, France, which she visits annually. She most recently visited Giverny in 2001.

She has displayed the intuitive talent and drive needed to fully develop her skills as a self-taught artist. Henrietta uses only a palette knife to create canvases rich with texture. The viewer wishes to touch the painting's surface to "read" the almost sculptural quality of the paint. Her fascination of light and color are used to create beautiful paintings which are filled with life and movement in the tradition of the impressionist masters. A career of coaching and competing in gymnastics seems to have contributed to the actual physical presence of her works. Energy emanates from each canvas. Her images flow easily off the canvas and eagerly into the viewers imagination. Henrietta's favorite subjects are frolicking children, florals and serene gardens.

Henrietta first opened her home studio to the public in 1979 - shortly after, she began showing in local galleries. It didn't take long for her popularity to spread, sending her work coast to coast. Presently she shows in a few select fine galleries across the country. The Fort Worth Milan Gallery is Henrietta's home gallery.

She paints from photographs and images she creates. Often photographs from one or two photo sessions will provide enough subject matter for a year. She does not paint on location, because she likes the comfort of her home studio where she can be close to family. She prefers personally choosing the subject matter for her works, however, she does commission work for galleries and designers. Henrietta has 19 fine art reproductions to her credit, as well as one sold-out limited edition print.

Henrietta's work is known worldwide with paintings in Indonesia, Switzerland, Czechoslovakia, New Zealand and Japan. She is a life member of the National Registry of Who's Who's publication.

Giving back to her community is something Henrietta feels strongly about. She is personally active with several charitable organizations, and gives to countless others by donating paintings, lithographs, and note cards. Her generous donations, in the tens of thousands of dollars each year, benefit local, regional and national organizations annually. In 1995, because of her charitable contributions, she was recognized by the mayor, senator, and congressman of her hometown with a day named in her honor.

A Legend in Our Midst
by Eden Rain

At the tender age of 10 years old, Henrietta Milan had aspirations of becoming a world gymnast. Beautiful, gifted, and consumed with her dream of competing in the Olympics, Milan was not aware that she had more than one God-given gift, nor did she ever imagine she would become a renowned Impressionist artist whose work would be displayed at some of the most highly regarded galleries throughout the country.

As the years passed, she established herself as the Women's Sokol Champ, then married and raised two wonderful sons, Rome and Tal. The world of gymnastics was an integral part of the entire family, and the Milans' strong desire to attend the Olympics played a key role in the direction the artist's life would take. Ensconced among champions, she painted subjects associated with her passion - gymnastics. Says Milan, "My work really didn't sell at first - either all the gymnasts were going to a meet or working out or practicing and training, and none of them had money to buy a painting. So the paintings just sat around, and I gave several away. There are some in different halls of fame across the country - [portraits of] Peter Korman, the Olympian; Olga Corbet, of Russia; and Nadia [Comaneci], of Romania."

Opportunity Knocks

A family of simple means, determined to attend the 1972 Olympics with their two young sons, the Milans began into a local gallery and suddenly found that her work was highly regarded by critics. Today her work sells in galleries throughout the country, as well as at the family's Milan Gallery in Sundance Square, Fort Worth, Texas.

Inspired by the work of great Impressionists such as Monet, Milan works extensively with palette knives to create texture and movement captured in her work. Today, flowerscapes, gardens, children, and still-life subjects, as well as tranquil scenes of days long gone, are part of Milan's work. As evidenced in the works depicted here, her use of color ranges from soft, romantic pastels to vibrant, rich colors. Here unusual technique seems to breathe life into her work. When close to her paintings, viewers can see the splashes of color that complement the heavy texture she creates with her knives. Standing away from her work evokes an entirely different sensation - one of beauty and tranquility.

Unaffected by the gift given to her, Henrietta Milan is everything a woman of significance should be: disarming, compassionate, worldly, and caring. Her warmth and love carry over not only to her beautiful family but to her inspirational work as an artist.

Residing in the hills surrounding Eagle Mountain Lake with her adoring husband, their two sons, and two grandchildren, Milan enjoys the serene beauty of the countryside while pursuing her passion. As you walk through her studio in the original home she and Jerry built in 1963, the love and delight of her work and personhood surround you. Layers and layers of palettes with vibrant colors and soft pastels lay strewn about as the sunlight streams through the glass ceiling, creating art out of the byproducts of Milan's creativity. Hundreds of photos of days long past lay in disarray to inspire the genius of Henrietta Milan.