Like Beaux and Hendricks, Tanner attended the academy. He studied with Thomas Eakins, but left school in 1885 and eventually moved to France, where he lived most of the rest of his life. He achieved fame in 1897 when his painting The Resurrection of Lazarus - which is in the current exhibition, on loan from Paris - won a prize at the annual Salon du Champs-Élysées and was purchased by the French government.
Tanner was the first African American student at the academy and was a favorite of Eakins'. He felt deeply constrained by racism he perceived throughout American society and decided to make his way in Europe.
Academy officials said the Tanner opening brought a diverse audience to the museum. The work generated appeal across racial, ethnic, and generational lines, they said.
Visitation to academy shows has been building for the most part in recent years. Last year's "Anatomy/Academy," an exhibition built around the newly conserved Gross Clinic by Eakins, drew 41,343 visitors. A 2009 show featuring works by painters Liz Osborne and Sidney Goodman drew 30,432. The 2009 Barkley Hendricks exhibition was visited by 27,130. The 2008 Cecilia Beaux exhibition drew 28,721.
"Henry Ossawa Tanner: Modern Spirit" continues until June 15. It then travels to Cincinnati and Houston.
Contact staff writer Stephan Salisbury at 215-854-5594, ssalisbury@phillynews.com, or @SPSalisbury on Twitter.
