Born in Łódź on June 20, 1891 Henri became a significant painter of the School of Paris in the 1930’s 

 

Henri Epstein lost his father, a bookseller, at the age of three and grew up with his mother, who encouraged his early penchant for painting. He began training at Jakub Kacenbogen's School of Drawing in Łódź where he studied with Zygmunt Landau)before joining the Munich Academy of Fine Arts until he was 19 years old.

During the great War he served in the Polish army. He finally moved to La Ruche in 1913 until 1938, where he befriended Amedeo Modigliani, Chaim Soutine and Pinchus Kremegne.  Whilst in La Ruche he attended the courses of the Académie de la Grande Chaumière.

 

Although Epstein’s early work was influenced by Fauvism, he then adopted an expressionist technique. He illustrated Gustave Coquiot’s Vagabondages (publisher Ollendorff) in 1921 and Pierre Bonard’s Les Rois du Maquis (publisher André Delpeuch) in 1926. He also probably contributed to the Jewish artistic journal Machmadim published at La Ruche and to Renaissance, a magazine in which he wrote articles in Yiddish.  

 

Artistically Henri Epstein was first noticed by the police commissioner and collector of paintings Léon Zamaron who saw him as the "most talented" painter of his time. The choices of Leon Zamaron had a great influence on Jonas Netter who purchased several of Epstein’s paintings. Jonas Netter, was a prolific and discerning collector who’s collection included over 120 pieces of work.

 

Henri Belbeoch and Florence Clifford estimate that it was from 1930 that, with his patron Dr. Gilles, Henri Epstein made several trips to Brittany Belle-Île-en-Mer and Concarneau, However, he also repeatedly pained the port of Marseille.

 

In 1938 Epstein bought a farm near Epernon, which became his refuge during the Occupation. On 23rd February 1944 he was arrested there by three Gestapo agents. Despite appeals by his wife, the daughter of painter Georges Dorignac and his friends, Epstein was sent to Drancy camp on 24th February 1944. He was deported on 7th March 1944 in convoy number 69, and killed in Auschwitz.