Henriette Simon Picker

Henriette Simon Picker, b. 1917, studied drawing and painting with Alexander Brook and Louis Bouch at the Art Students League of New York while pursuing a successful career as a shoe designer. She designed women's high fashion shoes for 45 years for several companies. During the 1950's and '60s she ran her own shoe companies and her designs were illustrated by many well-known artists including Andy Warhol.

Picker’s subjects were based on life experiences, stories of the times and her imagination. Influenced by the Ashcan School, still popular during the Depression, she conceived her work as social commentary in somber colors. During the 1970s, she lived in southern Spain where she was inspired by color in dry, bright sunlight. Picker moved to Dutchess County in New York in 1983, where her eyes were opened to the vibrancy of nature sur- rounding her. Drawing inspiration from her newfound environment, she reveled in using every color in her paint box.  The subjects she chooses dictate the technique with which she approaches each project. Still working with enormous energy at the age of 98, she is producing some of her most vibrant, lively pieces. 

Her work is held in distinguished private collections and had her first solo exhibition at the age of 95 and a retrospective at PMW Gallery in 2013. As Picker nears the end of a century of life, she wakes up every day in joyful anticipation of the sun and the many challenging hours working in her studio.  

Website: www.hspicker.com

Exhibitions

August 13 - September 3, 2015
Representational Group Exhibition

July 31 - August 21, 2014
What You See Is What You Get