Portrait of Madame Helleu

Paul-César Helleu French

Not on view

In this portrait of Alice Helleu, the artist shows his wife and favorite model in a flounced white gown, leaning elegantly on a pedestal table or ledge. His use of red, black, and white media recalls the "trois crayons" technique of eighteenth-century masters, though updated by his spare, linear graphic manner. Helleu earned his reputation as a celebrated society portraitist of the Belle Epoque for works executed in this distinctive style.

Portrait of Madame Helleu, Paul-César Helleu (French, Vannes 1859–1927 Paris), Red chalk, pastel, and graphite

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