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The Palace of Darius

Mary Henry

Maleng Regional Justice Center

An abstract painting conveys the ideas and emotions of ancient architecture.

Mary Henry (1913-2009). The Palace of Darius, 1987. Acrylic on canvas. Maleng Regional Justice Center, Seattle, WA. King County Public Art Collection. Photo: joefreemanjunior.com

The Palace of Darius takes its name from a palace complex built in the ancient city of Susa, Iran, during the reign of Darius I over the Achaemenid Empire.

“For me, abstract art can best portray thoughts that lie deepest in our psyche,” painter Mary Henry wrote in her artist statement for this piece, which is currently hanging in a courtroom at the Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent, WA. “This is art of the mind, art of the inner eye.” The Palace of Darius was commissioned as part of the Honors Program, which recognizes visual artists who have made significant contributions to our region through the sustained production of high-quality artwork.

“In my paintings, I want clarity and order and so I construct them as I would a piece of architecture,” Henry continued. “Perfection of structure are words I work by, eliminating non-essentials, distilling the painting until its beauty of form, its contemplative spaces speak to the viewer with its energy and insight. I want my painting to transcend the ordinary in an elevation of the senses, to give a feeling of joy and surprise to the eye. I’m not interested in portraying the outward form of life as such, but I am interested in portraying ideas and emotions.”
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Mary Henry (1913-2009). The Palace of Darius, 1987. Acrylic on canvas. Maleng Regional Justice Center, Seattle, WA. King County Public Art Collection. Photo: joefreemanjunior.com
Mary Henry (1913-2009). The Palace of Darius, 1987. Acrylic on canvas. Maleng Regional Justice Center, Seattle, WA. King County Public Art Collection. Photo: joefreemanjunior.com
 

About the Location

Maleng Regional Justice Center

The Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent, WA, contains one of the most significant collections of public artwork ever commissioned by King County for a single facility. The collection includes architecturally integrated and site-specific installations as well as many diverse portable artworks— drawings, paintings, photographs, and prints—created especially for the site by Northwest artists. Beginning…

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