Helen Andersen (July 14, 1919 – December 23, 1995) was a Canadian artist. While best known for

expressionist Expressionism is a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Northern Europe around the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it rad ...

paintings about Pacific Northwest coast Indigenous peoples, she worked in varied styles. Her subjects were often women, themes expressing her convictions about social justice and strong anti-war sentiments.

Life and career

Born Helen Severson McKay Anderson in

North Battleford, Saskatchewan North Battleford is a city in west-central Saskatchewan, Canada. It is the seventh largest city in the province and is directly across the North Saskatchewan River from the town of Battleford. Together, the two communities are known as "The ...

, Canada, she began painting in her teens, with some instruction from her physician father Dr. William Edmund Anderson, himself a "capable artist". Like her father, Andersen chose medicine as her profession, graduating as a Registered Nurse in 1940 from the Regina General Hospital School of Nursing. While working as a nurse she took art classes in her free time at the Vancouver School of Art, the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a Public university, public research university with campuses near University of British Columbia Vancouver, Vancouver and University of British Columbia Okanagan, Kelowna, in British Columbia, Canada ...

and the Victoria College of Art. She was eventually able to devote herself to her craft full time after receiving a grant from the Community Arts Council (Victoria B.C.). Her teachers included artists Bob Davidson, John Koerner, Joseph Plaskett, Kit Thorne, and Jacques de Tonnancour. She counted Bill Reid and Jack Shadbolt and Max Maynard among her artist friends. As an artist, Andersen was mainly active in exhibitions in

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

and Victoria,

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

. However, she also had solo exhibitions on the international stage in Denmark, Iran, and Tanzania. She was a

peace activist A peace movement is a social movement which seeks to achieve ideals such as the ending of a particular war (or wars) or minimizing inter-human violence in a particular place or situation. They are often linked to the goal of achieving world p ...

during much of her life. Her large painting, ''Nuclear Mother'', recorded her horror of nuclear weapons, and earned her a special commendation from the mayor of Hiroshima. Painted in an '' art brut'' style, the work depicts a grieving mother holding her slain infant. Some of her works are a part of the permanent collections of the Sidney-North Saanich Library; Saanich Peninsula Hospital and the Ocean Sciences buildings. Andersen died from cancer in

Saanich, British Columbia Saanich ( ) is a district municipality on the southern end of Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada, within the Greater Victoria area. The population was 117,735 at the 2021 census, making it the most populous municipality in the Cap ...

on December 23, 1995.

Awards and recognition

Andersen received a 1992 Lescarbot Award from the Government of Canada, recognizing outstanding contributions to community cultural activities. These included promotion of other artists by mounting group shows, lecturing and demonstrating techniques on television and teaching in her own studio. She served twice as Secretary of the Federation of Canadian Artists; was a member of the Saanich Peninsula Art and Crafts Society; and Board Member of the Community Arts Council (1992).

References

External links

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Canadian Federation of Artists
{{DEFAULTSORT:Andersen, Helen Artists from Saskatchewan 1919 births 1995 deaths 20th-century Canadian painters 20th-century Canadian women artists Deaths from cancer in British Columbia