CRG
Painter, lecturer, teacher, illustrator and author, Henry Gasser was born in Newark, New Jersey on
Oct. 31,1909.
He lived, studied and worked in New Jersey for his entire life.
A Master at watercolor and oil his work consisted of, in his own words, "everyday subjects that are
available to most of us-street scenes, back yards, trees, old houses, etc I looked for them in front
of houses, in backyards, public parks, and elsewhere".
He also painted numerous harbor and fishing village scenes. His work demonstrated a sense of
place and feeling that most could identify with.
He often "exhausted a subject" which becomes evident when viewing the body of his work for
many of his paintings are just slight variations of previously completed compositions. His Paintings
also contain a great deal of what he called "solitary silence" created by chosen subject matter such
as a "Coming Storm", "Night in the Park", "Shadows"... He felt that Design was very important
and meant the difference between a mediocre work and a truly professional one. It is here where
Gasser excelled, his work demonstrates a sense of composition that gained wide spread
appreciation for his work.
He got his background in art studying at the Newark School of Fine and Industrial Art and the
Grand Central School of Art. This was followed by study at the Art Students League of New York
in the classes of Robert Bracman. He later studied privately under John R. Grabach. He is
represented in over fifty museum collections and numerous important private ones as well. Among
the awards that Henry Gasser has received are the Hallgarten Prize at the National Academy, the
Zabriskie, Osborne, and Obrig prizes at the American Watercolor Society, the Philadelphia
watercolor club prize, the Allied Artists Gold Medal at Oakland, California and many others. He
was a member of the National academy of Design, the American Watercolor Society, the Royal
Society of Art (Great Britain), the Salmagundi Club, the Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington
Watercolor Clubs and the New Jersey Watercolor Society. He was a life member of the National
Arts Club, Grand Central Art Galleries and the Art Students League and others. He served as
Director of the Newark School of Fine and Industrial Art from 1946-54 then continued lecturing
and demonstrating for most of the remainder of his life. He also wrote numerous books on
painting. He died in Orange, NJ in 1981.