Henry Ossawa Tanner

This is the story of Henry Ossawa Tanner (1859-1937) the first African American painter to achieve fame in both Europe and America. An inspiration for the Harlem Renaissance artists and later generations of American painters, his story is retold by Faith Ringgold, one of today's leading African American artists, to inspire another generation of children to become the artists of the future.

Faith Ringgold’s depiction of Tanner's struggle to achieve his dream and his success as a painter on the world stage will inspire and challenge young readers to look at the artist's work and maybe go out and buy a few brushes and dry pigments (like Tanner did as a young boy in Philadelphia just 3 years after the Civil War) and set out to achieve their own dreams.

The book was published to coincide with a major exhibition of Tanner’s work at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts: Henry Ossawa Tanner: Modern Spirit.

Faith Ringgold Faith Ringgold, artist and author lives and works in Englewood, New Jersey. Ringgold's art has been exhibited worldwide. She has written and illustrated fourteen children's books including, Tar Beach which has won more than 30 awards including a Caldecott Honor and the Coretta Scott King Award.