Jean Hélion retrospective at Schroeder Romero & Shredder spans five decades of abstraction and figuration

Schroeder Romero & Shredder presented a retrospective of Jean Hélion's work from April 26 to June 30, 2012, at 531 West 26th Street in New York City. Curated by Deborah Rosenthal, the exhibition featured nearly thirty drawings and paintings spanning over fifty years, tracing Hélion's evolution from pure abstraction to highly figurative work. The show coincided with the reprinting of Hélion's memoir "They Shall Not Have Me" by Arcade Publishing, detailing his escape from a Nazi prisoner of war camp. Hélion's work combined raw elegance with cerebral modernism, showing influences from Mondrian while developing original approaches to form and color. Key works included the 1934 gouache demonstrating early abstraction, the 1936 canvas "Équilibre" with its energetic forms, and the 1944 gouache "Pegeen" portraying his wife with abstracted features. Later pieces like the 1962 "Page de Musique" and 1978 "Mannequinerie en solde" continued his exploration of essential moments through color and composition. Hélion's writings, particularly his 1937 essay "Avowals and Comments" and 1938 "Poussin, Seurat and Double Rhythm," illuminated his artistic philosophy of permanent transformation. The exhibition highlighted Hélion's connection to art historical traditions while maintaining an independent, spontaneous approach to painting.