Emo HEnrich
Emo Henrich was a painter, musician and skier from Tyrol, Austria. Classically trained as an engineer, Emo gave up his career in 1955 to pursue his dream of painting and skiing for a living. Following this change, he traveled throughout South America, skiing and climbing in the Argentine-Chilean Andes, and painting plein air in Mexico and Peru. In 1961 he moved to Vermont where he co-founded the Stratton Mountain School with his wife Ann and friend Frank Snyder.
During this time he worked in a prolific manner— producing thousands of paintings in his lifetime. His earliest works boast a keen eye with a nearly photo-like accuracy. This style eventually gave way to what he is most known for, expressive brushtsrokes and a masterful handling of watercolor, the sharp observer evepresent in the work.
Biography
1922 - 1945 Emo Henrich is born in Innsbruck / Tyrol. Early enthusiasm for the mountains, skiing, playing guitar and singing. Engineering studies. Big mountain tours in the eastern and western Alps.
After military service, becomes plant manager at the Tyrolean TIWAG Hydropower AG. First watercolors. Drawing and painting with Prof. Walter Kühn in Innsbruck.
1946 Invention and patenting of the Firngleiters FIGL (short skis). Young team leader of the Innsbruck section of the Austrian Alpine Club.
1947 First exhibition of watercolors in the Art Salon Czichna in Innsbruck.
1955 Decides to give up his career in engineering in order fulfill his dream of making a living with mountain climbing, skiing, painting and music. Becomes certified mountain guide and ski instructor in Tyrol.
1958 - 1960 Archaeological and mountaineering expedition in the Atacama Puna in the Argentine-Chilean Andes with Prof. Hias Rebitsch. Ski instructor and coach in Oregon, California, Argentina, Chile. Numerous watercolor art exhibitions and multiple prize-winner.
Art travel through Mexico and Peru. Marriage to Ann Kramer.
1961 – 1988 Founds and develops a large ski center with hotel in Stratton Mountain in Vermont, USA together with Ann and his friend Frank Snyder. Manages the ski school 25 years, forms a Tyrolean music and dance group that performs 1000 “Tyrolean evening” events in the United States including tours and television appearances with the group.
Recipient of the golden Tyrolean Eagle Order, the Golden Medal of the Austrian tourism agency, the Silver Medal of Honor of the Republic of Austria, and the Sherman Adams Award (USA).
Birth of his two daughters Mercedes and Christina.
Remains artistically active, trains with painters Bob Frick from the Manchester Art Center and Frank Webb of the University of Pittsburgh. Many individual exhibitions.
1989 - 2000 Together with Ann returns permanently to his old homeland. Builds a Zillertaler style wooden home with an art studio in Upper Lech am Arlberg. Scholarly and artistic travels throughout East Asia, South Pacific, New Zealand, Australia, Yemen, Egypt, Iceland, Turkey, etc. Above all, particularly as a painter, remains deeply connected with the alps of Tyrol, Vorarlberg and the Dolomites.
Numerous exhibitions of watercolors and drawings in Innsbruck, Lech, Corsica, Reykjavik, Bermuda, aboard the „Maxim Gorki“, etc., as well as a his own gallery in Lech. Over the years teaches multiple watercolor classes in the Hotel Gasthof Post in Lech.
2001 - 2008 Retires and settles down in Igls near Innsbruck. Participates in the annual exhibitions of the „Igler-Art“ in the „Ägidihof” in Igls near Innsbruck.
