Known for his vibrant and naturalist portraits of Taos Pueblo people and the bright, expansive New Mexican landscape, Hennings had luck on his side to arrive in Taos by way of world travels and artistic roots in Chicago. He was originally from New Jersey and studied for five years at the Art Institute of Chicago and continued in Munich for two years at the Royal Academy.
During World War I, Hennings returned to Chicago, where he made his living as a muralist and commercial artist. Chicago art patrons sent Hennings to Taos to paint in 1917. He returned in 1921 to live in and paint the high desert West and in 1924, he was accepted as a member of the Taos Society of Artists.
He painted predominately in the Southwest and continued to show in Chicago while his reputation grew nationally. Along with his paintings, he produced a series of lithographs and monotypes. He was celebrated during his lifetime and received numerous competitive awards and also was included abroad in major art exhibitions such as he 1924 Venice Biennale and the 1927 Paris Salon. His work is held in major museum collections in the U.S. especially in the west and southwest including the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Denver Art Museum, National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, the National Museum of Wildlife Art, to name a few.
(1886 – 1956)