Jean Hélion

(French, 1904–1987)

Jean Hélion was a French artist known for his use of controlled color relationships and bold curving lines. He worked with both non-objective and figurative painting over the course of his career, often straddling the two. “I understand abstract art as an attempt to feed imagination with a world built through the basic sensations of the eyes,” he once reflected. Born on April 21, 1904 in Couterne, France, Hélion studied chemistry at l'Institut Industriel du Nord in Lille but never completed his degree. In 1921, he moved to Paris, working as an architect’s assistant and frequenting the Louvre. While visiting the museum, he encountered the works of Nicolas Poussin and determined to switch courses and become a painter. By the mid-1920s, Hélion had entered into a milieu of artists that included Otto Freundlich and Joaquín Torres-García. Quickly transitioning from Cubism to nonobjective abstraction, the artist adopted and implemented ideologies culled from artists such as Piet Mondrian and Max Ernst. In 1940, he joined the French resistance army, was subsequently captured, and lived as a prisoner of war for the next two years. Following his release, Hélion rejected pure abstraction in favor of more figurative elements, producing paintings which harkened back to Neoclassical compositions and the works of Fernand Léger. The artist died on October 27, 1987 in Paris, France. Today, his works are held in the collections of the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice, the Tate Gallery in London, The Museum of Modern Art in New York, and the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, among others.

Jean Hélion Artworks

Artworks for Sale &
Auction Results

Jean Hélion (2,537 results)
Nu rouge, 1983

Jean Hélion

Nu rouge, 1983

Sale Date: December 10, 2014

Auction Closed

Portrait d'homme au chapeau (10 works), 1939

Jean Hélion

Portrait d'homme au chapeau (10 works), 1939

Sale Date: December 10, 2014

Auction Closed

Nature morte aux fruits

Jean Hélion

Nature morte aux fruits

Sale Date: November 19, 2014

Auction Closed

Abstraction au chapeau, projet de rideau..., 1938

Jean Hélion

Abstraction au chapeau, projet de rideau..., 1938

Sale Date: November 21, 2014

Auction Closed

Nu allongé, 1949

Jean Hélion

Nu allongé, 1949

Sale Date: December 4, 2014

Auction Closed

Portrait de famille, 1982

Jean Hélion

Portrait de famille, 1982

Sale Date: October 24, 2014

Auction Closed

Petite fête de nuit, 1966

Jean Hélion

Petite fête de nuit, 1966

Sale Date: October 21, 2014

Auction Closed

Au val de g., 1967

Jean Hélion

Au val de g., 1967

Sale Date: October 21, 2014

Auction Closed

L'accident de bus, 1982

Jean Hélion

L'accident de bus, 1982

Sale Date: October 13, 2014

Auction Closed

Scène dramatique à la terrasse d'un café, 1975

Jean Hélion

Scène dramatique à la terrasse d'un café, 1975

Sale Date: October 13, 2014

Auction Closed

Sans titre, 1951

Jean Hélion

Sans titre, 1951

Sale Date: October 14, 2014

Auction Closed

Composition, 1934

Jean Hélion

Composition, 1934

Sale Date: July 6, 2014

Auction Closed

Femme couchée, 1972

Jean Hélion

Femme couchée, 1972

Sale Date: June 25, 2014

Auction Closed

Homme ramassant dans la rue, 1944

Jean Hélion

Homme ramassant dans la rue, 1944

Sale Date: June 25, 2014

Auction Closed

Vanité du 14 juillet, 1968

Jean Hélion

Vanité du 14 juillet, 1968

Sale Date: June 27, 2014

Auction Closed

Jacqueline, 1960

Jean Hélion

Jacqueline, 1960

Sale Date: June 25, 2014

Auction Closed

Homards, 1975

Jean Hélion

Homards, 1975

Sale Date: June 25, 2014

Auction Closed

Mannequinerie, 1951

Jean Hélion

Mannequinerie, 1951

Sale Date: June 25, 2014

Auction Closed

Sans titre, 1979

Jean Hélion

Sans titre, 1979

Sale Date: June 25, 2014

Auction Closed

Shoes, 1944

Jean Hélion

Shoes, 1944

Sale Date: June 7, 2014

Auction Closed

Les Homards, 1975

Jean Hélion

Les Homards, 1975

Sale Date: June 18, 2014

Auction Closed

Holocauste 2, 1977

Jean Hélion

Holocauste 2, 1977

Sale Date: June 11, 2014

Auction Closed

Fille au mannequin, 1944

Jean Hélion

Fille au mannequin, 1944

Sale Date: June 4, 2014

Auction Closed

Toits de Paris, 1961

Jean Hélion

Toits de Paris, 1961

Sale Date: May 21, 2014

Auction Closed

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