Mickey Rat

With a background in philosophy as well as fine art, Edward Henrion was a master of satire. A brilliant thinker as well as a consummate artist, his biting wit and keen eye for the absurdities of the human condition provided an extraordinary legacy in the body of work that he created during his lifetime. Born in 1928, Ed Henrion grew up in Detroit Michigan. After studying painting with Alexander Zlatov- Mirsky in Chicago, he moved to New York in 1948 where he studied Philosophy at Fordham University and graduated from the Cooper Union College of Arts & Sciences in 1952. He lived in Greenwich Village with his wife and fellow Cooper Union graduate, Marilyn Henrion, for over 65 years until his death in 2016. During the 1950's Ed was a regular attendee at the 8th Street Artists' Club, along with the major abstract expressionist painters Motherwell, deKooning, Rothko, Barnett Newman, etc. During the 1960's and 70's the Henrions were immersed in the the art and literary scene of the time. Their social network included Joseph Cornell, Tom Wesselman, and Claes Oldenburg, in whose Happenings Marilyn performed. Salons held at their Greenwich Village apartment featured poetry readings by important poets of the day such as Howard Hart, Allen Ginsberg, Philip Lamantia, Bob Nichols, and Ray Bremser, as well as performances by avant garde composer, Jackson Maclow. Ed's satirical drawings constitute a no-holds-barred commentary on the New York scene and world events as he experienced them during a significant era. The softer side of his nature was manifested in his exquisitely executed nude life drawings and paintings. However, except for occasional freelance editorial illustrations for publications such as Human Events and Libertarian Review, he studiously avoided any involvement in the business of art. Instead, while continuing to create new drawings and paintings, Ed earned his living as an art teacher at Erasmus High School in Brooklyn, New York before retiring in 1987. He gave up making art in the early '90's and became an avid chess player and science enthusiast.