Oakland, California, United States
Henry Villierme was a student of the art school at the California College of the Arts, working under the guidance of Richard Diebenkorn. In several years, the artist enrolled in the college, where he studied under the GI Bill.
San Francisco, California, United States
Villierme attended several classes at the California School of Fine Arts (now San Francisco Art Institute); there his fellow students were Manuel Neri and Bruce McGaw.
Henry Villierme with his artworks.
Henry Villierme with his painting.
Oakland, California, United States
Henry Villierme was a student of the art school at the California College of the Arts, working under the guidance of Richard Diebenkorn. In several years, the artist enrolled in the college, where he studied under the GI Bill.
San Francisco, California, United States
Villierme attended several classes at the California School of Fine Arts (now San Francisco Art Institute); there his fellow students were Manuel Neri and Bruce McGaw.
Henry Villierme with his artworks.
Henry Villierme with his painting.
Young Henry Villierme.
Villierme was born in San Francisco, California, United States, on August 21, 1928. He was the son of Louis Henry and Emilia Villierme. Henry Villierme had two younger brothers. His mother died when he was only three years old, and Villierme lived with his father's family in Tahiti. When he was 11, his father remarried and Henry Villierme returned to California to live with his father and his new wife.
Henry Villierme's stepmother was the first to notice his artistic talents. She suggested him to enroll in art school at the California College of the Arts. Villierme studied there under the guidance of Richard Diebenkorn, who was a strong influence on, and lifetime supporter of Villierme and his talents. He also studied under David Park, eventually graduating with a degree in fine arts, specializing in painting.
In addition, Villierme had an opportunity to study with the prominent Japanese abstractionist and abstract calligrapher, Sabro Hasegawa. Concurrently, he also attended several classes at the California School of Fine Arts (now San Francisco Art Institute); there his fellow students were Manuel Neri and Bruce McGaw.
In several years, the artist enrolled in the California College of the Arts, where he studied under the GI Bill.
Villierme worked as an artist. During the Korean War, he served in the United States Army and worked as a truck driver. He spent a lot of time in Japan, where he was greatly influenced by "the look of Japan, even the smell of it, and the way in which the concern for art values was a part of the Japanese people's way of life."
Henry Villierme's artworks are typically realistic, and his most common subjects are great rolling landscapes, so typical of California's Central Valley. Besides, he was also renowned for his portraits and still lifes, which were generally created on small canvases. Villierme worked on the basis of the sketches that he produced on the spot. He usually put them aside for a month or more before he painted from them. His approach in art is often considered pointillist and cubist.
The art of Villierme showed promise at an early stage. The important 1957 Exhibition of Figurative paintings at the Oakland Museum, held by Paul Mills, included three artworks by Villierme. The following year, he presented his works at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art Exhibition during the show titled "Artists of Los Angeles and Vicinity". His paintings were also displayed at exhibitions at the M.H. de Young Memorial Museum and the San Francisco Museum of Art.
In the late 1950s, Villierme left the art scene. In order to support his family, he had various manual labour jobs in Southern California. Henry Villierme moved with his family to Ojai, where he served as a maintenance man at a private school. Villierme slowly resumed painting in the late 1980s. In the late 1990s, he was "re-discovered" by an art dealer from Ojai, California. His comeback culminated with the 2005 Bay Area Figurative 1950s and 1960s exhibit at the Bolinas Museum in Bolinas, California.
Henry Villierme was a successful and well-recognized artist. He was well-known for his abstract figurative work, as well as his semi-abstract works, including his large, colourful California landscapes.
In August 1957 Villierme won the Second Award at the Jack London Square Art Festival for his work "Highway". In November of the same year, his painting "Lake View" took the First Place at the 7th Annual Exhibition Oil and Sculpture at the Richmond Art Center, with honourable mentions going to Richard Diebenkorn, Nathan Oliveira, and David Park. He also won a prize at the Los Angeles County Museum 1958 Annual Exhibition, "Artists of Los Angeles and Vicinity", for his piece "Landscape".
Today, Villierme's paintings can be found at various galleries and public collections, including the William A. Karges Fine Art, and the Thomas Reynolds Gallery (California).
Villierme was a charming and humble man. Most people called Henry Villierme as "Hank." He loved his wife and his family. He liked to work in the garden and did his best to improve his painting skills. Villierme treated others with respect, he would never lift his fork until everyone at the table was served. He spoke French since his days in Tahiti.
Quotes from others about the person
Richard Diebenkorn: "[Villierme's] painting had, and still has, instinctual understanding of that universal human activity in which colors are applied to a surface."
Henry Villierme married Barbara Albers, his classmate at the California College of Arts, in 1953. They were a devoted couple for 58 years. The marriage produced four children, Frank, Julianne, Paul and Claudia.
