Tale of Two Margerys

Before the art world went abstract, it went to the streets--and two women stood at the heart of its fire and its fame. Many know the name Robert Henri, the man who taught America how to see the beauty in the soot-stained, chaotic turn-of-the-century New York City, yet few know the two women who breathed life into his revolution. Margery Ryerson and Marjorie Organ were more than mere witnesses to the Ashcan movement, as they would come to kindle Henri's artistic fire both throughout and after his life.One, a pioneering cartoonist and later his wife, used her pen to capture the wit of New York society, while the other used hers to preserve a master's legacy. Though Henri made the broad brushstrokes of American realism, it was the women in his life that filled in the picture--and carried the Ashcan flame.Through the unique lens of his family's history, Craig Le Clair brings his grandaunt Marjorie Organ's world to life, exposing a fierce struggle for artistic identity in a world that tried to keep women on the margins. The Tale of Two Margerys is the untold story of the hearts behind the art that carried the flame of American realism into the modern era.

Craig Le Clair is an industry analyst at Forrester Research. He is a globally recognized authority on the intersection of artificial intelligence, automation, and the future of work. He is a prolific speaker and writer, and his insights are frequently featured in The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and USA Today. He is the author of three acclaimed nonfiction books, including Invisible Robots in the Quiet of the Night and his most recent work, Random Acts of Automation. Craig earned a BS in economics from Georgetown University and an MBA from George Washington University.While his professional focus explores the digital future, his personal life is rooted in the preservation of art history. As a relative of the American master Robert Henri, he has cultivated long-standing relationships with leading academics, galleries, and museums worldwide. By bridging the high-velocity world of technology with the enduring legacy of the Ashcan School, he offers a "dual perspective" on how both innovation and art define the human experience. This serves as the foundation for his debut historical novel, The Tale of Two Margerys, which uncovers the vibrant, complex lives layered within the strokes of art history.