Henri Paul Émile Victor Cassiers, also known as Henry or Hendrick Cassiers, was a renowned Belgian Art Nouveau artist and illustrator. Born on August 11, 1858, in Antwerp, Cassiers was the son of Paul Cassiers and Victoire Pelgrims. His early education was in architecture, studying for six years in Brussels under Paul Saintenoy. He also took courses at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Brussels and other schools. However, Cassiers largely self-taught himself as a painter in watercolours, quickly becoming a skilful draughtsman.

Cassiers' artistic career began to flourish in 1881 with his first successful exhibition of paintings, prompting him to abandon architecture. Around this time, he moved to the fishing town of Knokke, which hosted a vibrant artist colony including notable figures like Alfred Verwee, Louis Artan, Flori van Acker, Franz Courtens, and later Alfred Bastien and Firmin Baes.

Cassiers' works were well-received in various countries, with exhibitions in Brittany, England, Switzerland, Germany, and Italy. His focus shifted towards commercial illustration, and his art was featured in well-known newspapers, magazines, hotels, restaurants, and resorts. He became particularly noted for his posters, most famously those created for the Red Star Line, an Antwerp shipping company. For approximately twenty-five years, Cassiers designed posters, postcards, and menus for the company.

His illustrations appeared in numerous popular weekly magazines from 1886 to 1893, such as De Vlaamsche Patriot, Le Globe Illustré, and L'Illustration Européenne. Cassiers' works also adorned various books, including those by Camille Mauclair, Emile Verhaeren, Cyriel Buysse, and Jean d'Ardenne. One notable publication was the "Guide descriptif illustré de la côte de Flandre" (Brussels, 1888), which featured 106 of his drawings.

Cassiers' art was versatile and easily adapted for advertising and publicity, particularly for tourist destinations and shipping companies. His association with the Belgian artists' group Les Hydrophiles further cemented his status in the art community.

Henri Cassiers passed away on February 27, 1944, in Ixelles - Elsene. His legacy endured, with a significant retrospective of his work displayed in 1994 at the Museum Vleeshuis in Antwerp and the Katwijks Museum in Katwijk, accompanied by a published catalog. Cassiers is celebrated as one of the most outstanding Flemish poster artists of his time, leaving an indelible mark on the world of commercial and fine art.

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