Ester Helenius
Ester Emmy Maria Helenius (16 May 1875 – 12 October 1955) was a Finnish artist[1] known for the vibrant use of color in her paintings.[2] This vibrancy was so notable that art historian Tutta Palin described her as a "worshipper of ecstasy."[3] While mainly a painter, Helenius was also trained in printmaking.[4]
Background and work[edit]
Helenius was an artist in residence at the famous Lallukka Artists’ Home in the Etu-Töölö district of Helsinki.[4] Her art from this period was on display in 2020–2021 at the Helsinki Art Museum in the exhibition Lallukka – Life in the Home of Artists, alongside other well-known Finnish visual artists of the mid 20th century.[5]
Helenius' work has gained posthumous notoriety after being written on by Finnish art historian Tutta Palin in the book Ester Helenius: Värihurmion palvoja, a popular reference for tracing the evolution of Helenius' work.
Her sales records have been donated to the Hämeenlinna Art Museum as part of her legacy.[6]
Helenius is known to have had love affairs with women.[7] Popular Finnish author and illustrator Tove Jansson has written of her interactions with Helenius during her time in Paris, France in her book Letters From Tove.[6] Both artists lived at the Lallukka Artists’ Home.[8]
Helenius' art can be found at auction on sites such as Hagelstam & Co.[9] and Bukowskis[10] for estimated values of up to 2,000 euros[11]
Her work also remains in the collections of the Finnish National Gallery,[4] the Helsinki Art Museum,[12] and the Hämeenlinna Art Museum, among others.
References[edit]
- ^ Helenius, Ester at Uppslagsverket Finland (in Swedish).
- ^ "Ester Helenius". Kansallisgalleria (in Finnish). Retrieved 2020-11-30.
- ^ Palin, Tutta: Ester Helenius: Värihurmion palvoja. Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seura, Helsinki 2016. ISBN 978-952-222-702-7
- ^ a b c "Lallukka – Life in the Home of Artists". HAM. Retrieved 2020-11-30.
- ^ Svinhufvud, Leena (19 December 2012). "From Sketches and Samples to Ledgers and Advertisements näkymä". Tahiti. 2 (4). Retrieved 2020-11-30.
- ^ a b Jansson, Tove (2019). Letters From Tove. Sort of Books, Main edition. ISBN 978-1-90874-572-9.
- ^ "Tove Jansson ja Tuulikki Pietilä ovat ikoninen naispari, mutta naisten välistä rakkautta käsitellään taidenäyttelyissä harvoin: Tammisaaressa avautunut kokonaisuus tekee poikkeuksen". Helsingin Sanomat. 25 February 2022.
- ^ "Illustrations by the 26-year-old Tove Jansson found during the renovation of her old home". Moomin. 2017-02-14. Retrieved 2020-12-16.
- ^ "Esineet haulle: 'ester helenius'". Hagelstam & Co. Retrieved 2020-12-16.
- ^ "Ester Helenius". Bukowskis. Retrieved 2020-12-16.
- ^ "Ester Helenius: Window in the Cathedral". Bukowskis. Retrieved 2020-12-16.
- ^ "The Artists of Lallukka". Mutual Art. Retrieved 2020-11-30.
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