Thorvald Hellesen
About the artist
Thorvald Hellesen, a Norwegian abstract artist, designer, and painter, gained recognition for his significant role in the Orphic Cubism movement. This particular branch of Cubism emphasized pure abstraction and vivid colors, often highlighting the lyrical aspects of painting. Hellesen’s signature style featured dynamic geometric shapes and inventive color choices, establishing him as a central figure in this avant-garde trend.
Thorvald Hellesen (occasionally spelled Thorwald) was born in Christiania—now known as Oslo, Norway. He came from a notable lineage, being the son of Thorvald Hellesen, a Supreme Court lawyer, and Ida Selmer, whose father was Norwegian Prime Minister Christian Selmer. Although he completed his art examinations, Hellesen spent a year attending the Norwegian Military Academy before ultimately committing himself to an artistic vocation.
After deciding to dedicate himself to art, Hellesen enrolled at the newly founded Oslo National Academy of Arts. There, between 1910 and 1911, he studied under the influential realist painter Christian Krohg. Yearning for further artistic growth, he moved to Paris in 1912, a place that had become a vital center for modern art during that era.
In Paris, Hellesen entered a thriving community of artists, collaborating with renowned Cubist painter Fernand Léger and meeting prominent figures such as Pablo Picasso. This dynamic setting played a formative role in shaping his individual approach, which integrated features of Cubism with abstraction. Hellesen’s work made a lasting impact on modern art—particularly within Norwegian and European abstraction—and he is acknowledged for his efforts in linking Norwegian art to the larger continental movements of the early twentieth century.