Biography
Born in Porto in 1901, whilst in 1919 studying at the Fine Arts School of Porto (Escola Superior de Belas Artes do Porto), Henrique travelled to commence his further art studies in Paris, where Cormon and Bérard were among his teachers.
In the years which followed, Henrique Medina lived in London for over ten years, subsequently travelling to Rome where he was commissioned to paint Mussolini's portrait. He travelled to São Paulo, Buenos Aires, Madrid and then arriving back in Paris, building his artistic reputation year on year. Henrique eventually moved to southern California where his talents in portraiture became much in demand. He lived in Hollywood for six years and painted many famous actresses' portraits as commissions. Indeed, such were his known talents that the painting of Dorian Gray in the MGM film The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945) was commissioned and produced.
Medina had a very successful career until his death in 1988, with many prestigious institutions holding his work. There exists a museum housing over fifty of his paintings, located in Braga, Portugal.