Henry Gorski

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Henry Gorski (1918–2010) was an American Figurative Expressionist artist. Born in Buffalo, New York, he was of Polish descent and earned a BFA from the University at Buffalo in 1939. He lived near New Haven, Connecticut, and was married to textile artist Bernie Gorski. Active from 1948 through 2003, Gorski’s art evolved over his long career, and he became well known for sports lithographs and self-portraits. His canvases often explored religion, politics, and human suffering.

Gorski’s early work reflected his World War II experiences as a cartographer in the U.S. Navy. Later pieces dealt with topics like the Vietnam War, sexuality, and family life, with works such as Ship of Fools, The Rape of the Rose, and The Child of Darkness. He called much of his 1960s output his “Pain-Things Series,” which were shown nationally and internationally alongside works by Robert Rauschenberg, Andy Warhol, and Elaine de Kooning.

In the later part of his career, Gorski turned to the role of athletes in society, producing paintings like Blocked and Black Hawk Goalie. His final works focused on disability, portraying autistic and developmentally disabled youths. Many of his works were collected by Albert J. Levis and are part of the Museum of the Creative Process, with Levis using the canvases to explore unconscious dynamics in creativity.

A 2009 retrospective titled “Stealing the Fire of the Gods” was held at the Chaffee Art Center in Rutland, Vermont. In 2011, the Arts Alive Gallery in Burlington, Vermont hosted another retrospective, “Art as Evidence of Science.”