Henry Lyman SAŸEN (1875–1918) was a groundbreaking American artist and inventive scientist and one of the earliest Americans to embrace Fauvism. He was captivated by the possibilities of color—not simply as a tool for representation but as a means of fully embodying emotion. A skilled inventor, he developed theories of color vision, believing that an individual’s perception of color depended on the context in which it was viewed. Saÿen’s paintings reflected his deep scientific curiosity, incorporating bold color contrasts and structural experimentation. Many of his early modernist works are now lost, but in 1967, his daughter gifted her father’s collection to the National Collection of Fine Arts in Washington, D.C.
Born in Philadelphia, Saÿen exhibited a predilection for both science and art. Before studying painting, he designed an induction coil at age 18 and later patented a self-regulating X-ray tube, making significant contributions to diagnostic radiography. After serving in the Spanish-American War, he turned his focus to art, enrolling at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. His 1906 trip to Paris introduced him to the European avant-garde scene. Inspired by Leo and Gertrude Stein’s collection, Saÿen shifted his style toward Fauvism while he was a student of Henri Matisse at the Academie Matisse. He soon exhibited at the Salon d’Automne from 1909 to 1913. Forced to leave France in 1914 due to World War I, he returned to Philadelphia, where he played a crucial role in promoting modern art, organizing the city’s First Exhibition of Advanced Modern Art in 1916.
Saÿen’s untimely death at the age of forty-three was likely hastened by his early work with uncontrolled X-rays. A memorial exhibition was held in 1921 at the Philadelphia Galleries of the Wanamaker store, and in 1929, he was included in the Philadelphia Art Alliance. While his career was cut short, his scientific-artistic approach, paired with his bold use of color and form, continues to inspire artists exploring the intersections of technology, perception, and abstraction. His pivotal role in introducing modernism to American artists, despite his relative obscurity, cements his significance in early 20th-century modernism.
