Hayden, Henri

Henri Hayden studied at the Warsaw Academy of Fine Arts from 1902 to 1905 while also studying engineering at Warsaw Polytechnic. After discovering his passion for painting, he moved to Paris in 1907 and began to study at the Académie de la Palette.  

After his first exhibition of 1911, Hayden was influenced by the work of Paul Cezanne and joined the Cubist movement. He became friends with founders Georges Braque and Pablo Picasso. He later moved away from the Cubist style to paint colourful landscapes once more. 

While evading the Nazis, Hayden and his wife, Josette, met Samuel Beckett and his wife, Suzanne Dechevaux-Dumesnil, in the south of France. Hayden and Beckett became friends and correspondents. Due to this friendship, some of Hayden’s works are part of the Becket Art Collection.  

The University of Reading Art Collection holds six artworks by Henri Hayden.