Thorvald Hellesen

Thorvald Hellesen (1888–1937) was a Norwegian avant-garde artist who lived and worked in Paris during the 1910s and 1920s. Together with his wife, the French artist Hélène Perdriat, he was part of the circle around Pablo Picasso, Fernand Léger, Constantin Brâncuși, Piet Mondrian, and Theo van Doesburg. In his short but intense life, he produced a diverse and uniquely modern body of work: he painted in oil, created watercolors, gouaches, and drawings, developed designs, and crafted textiles. Nevertheless, even in Norway, the name Hellesen is known to only a few. Dag Blakkisrud, Matthew Drutt, and Hilde Mørch create a multifaceted and fascinating portrait of the artist with this publication. Not only do they place Hellesen within art history, but they also attempt to explain why his work is only now gaining recognition in Norway and worldwide.