Background
He was born in Elwood, Indiana and died In Pacific Palisades, California.
He was born in Elwood, Indiana and died In Pacific Palisades, California.
Throughout his career years, Henninger continued to create fine art, including paintings in oil, acrylic and, primarily, watercolor. He traveled extensively in Europe to find subjects and locations for his paintings and also made several trips to Japan. An example of his skill and attention to detail is the watercolor shown at the right, depicting 33 scenes of Spain on a single canvas.
In the Air Force Academy Art Collection. can be seen several of his paintings, including a portrait of Charles Yeager.
At the Tempe Campus of Arizona State University there are two murals painted by Henninger: Spanish Influence in Arizona and Industrial Development in Arizona. Industrial Development in Arizona addresses the theme of the five C"s of Arizona: Cotton, copper, cattle, climate and citrus.
Henninger received a commission to paint the murals in 1934 as part of the Public Works of Art Project. Henninger is also the author and illustrator of several books, one of the most important of which is Drawing of the Hand and Its Anatomy, published in 1973.
Henninger was President of the California Art Club in 1965, and was also elected to several terms as president of the Art Directors Guild.
"American Artist" Magazine recognized Joseph Morgan Henninger as "..one of the most influential watercolorists of the latter half of the twentieth century." (from the California Art Club Newsletter, June/July 1999).
He was a member of the National Watercolor Society.