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)
Portrait de Monsieur Burgart, 1960

Jean Hélion

Portrait de Monsieur Burgart, 1960

Sale Date: March 27, 2013

Auction Closed

Lit, 1948

Jean Hélion

Lit, 1948

Sale Date: March 27, 2013

Auction Closed

Vanité musicale, 1957

Jean Hélion

Vanité musicale, 1957

Sale Date: March 27, 2013

Auction Closed

Scène de cirque, 1968

Jean Hélion

Scène de cirque, 1968

Sale Date: March 27, 2013

Auction Closed

Le dos et les pains II, 1953

Jean Hélion

Le dos et les pains II, 1953

Sale Date: March 27, 2013

Auction Closed

Clown de couleur, 1968

Jean Hélion

Clown de couleur, 1968

Sale Date: March 27, 2013

Auction Closed

L'Accident du 4 novembre, 1980

Jean Hélion

L'Accident du 4 novembre, 1980

Sale Date: March 27, 2013

Auction Closed

Composition, 1933

Jean Hélion

Composition, 1933

Sale Date: March 27, 2013

Auction Closed

Composition, 1934

Jean Hélion

Composition, 1934

Sale Date: March 27, 2013

Auction Closed

Composition, 1933

Jean Hélion

Composition, 1933

Sale Date: March 27, 2013

Auction Closed

Homme assis, 1930

Jean Hélion

Homme assis, 1930

Sale Date: March 27, 2013

Auction Closed

Homme au parapluie, 1939

Jean Hélion

Homme au parapluie, 1939

Sale Date: March 27, 2013

Auction Closed

Le trio, 1943

Jean Hélion

Le trio, 1943

Sale Date: March 27, 2013

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Figure dressée, 1937

Jean Hélion

Figure dressée, 1937

Sale Date: March 27, 2013

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Figure verticale, 1937

Jean Hélion

Figure verticale, 1937

Sale Date: March 27, 2013

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Equilibre, 1933

Jean Hélion

Equilibre, 1933

Sale Date: February 23, 2013

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Étude pour l'illustration de Chêne et Chien..., 1937

Jean Hélion

Étude pour l'illustration de Chêne et Chien..., 1937

Sale Date: February 22, 2013

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Étude pour l'illustration de Chêne et Chien..., 1937

Jean Hélion

Étude pour l'illustration de Chêne et Chien..., 1937

Sale Date: February 22, 2013

Auction Closed

Équilibre, 1936

Jean Hélion

Équilibre, 1936

Sale Date: February 4, 2013

Auction Closed

Promenade, 1971

Jean Hélion

Promenade, 1971

Sale Date: February 4, 2013

Auction Closed

Couple au nu renverse, 1962

Jean Hélion

Couple au nu renverse, 1962

Sale Date: February 4, 2013

Auction Closed

Homme assis (study for L'Homme au verre vide), 1945

Jean Hélion

Homme assis (study for L'Homme au verre vide), 1945

Sale Date: December 19, 2012

Auction Closed

Sans titre, 1942

Jean Hélion

Sans titre, 1942

Sale Date: December 16, 2012

Auction Closed

Composition, 1933

Jean Hélion

Composition, 1933

Sale Date: December 16, 2012

Auction Closed

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