Robert Helm was a Pullman, WA based painter. Now deceased, Helm painted on wooden panels and applied wood inlays, creating timeless and mysterious images featuring objects, plant forms, and animals. He created his own frames for many of these pieces, heightening the impression that one is looking through a window into a personal universe.
Helm's work is nationally featured in several contemporary expressions: woodworking, panel painting, landscape art, as well as regional and narrative art. The subdued earth tones of his palette lend a rustic quality to the work, evoking the rural Palouse region of southeast Washington State.
Robert Helm received a BA and an MFA from Washington State University, where he was also Professor of Fine Arts for over 30 years.
RESUME
EDUCATION
BA and MFA Washington State University, Pullman, WA
TEACHING
1971- Professor of Fine Arts, Washington State University, Pullman, WA
1969-71 Associate Professor, University of Colorado, Boulder,CO
SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2005 Linda Hodges Gallery, Seattle, WA
2002 Linda Hodges Gallery, Seattle, WA
1996 Boise Art Museum, Boise, ID; Galerie Redmann, Berlin, Germany
1995 Tacoma Art Museum, Tacoma, WA; Museum of Art, Washington State University, Pullman, WA
1994 Blaffer Gallery, University of Houston, Houston, TX
1991 Edward Thorp Gallery, New York, NY
1987 Edward Thorp Gallery, New York, NY
1984 Perspectives, Recent Work, Contemporary Art Museum, Houston, TX; L.A. Louvre Gallery, Venice, CA
1983 Documents NW: The PONCHO Series, Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, WA
1982 Galerie Redmann, Berlin, Germany
1978 New Work, Wilder Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
1977 Faith and Hope, Hope Gallery, Hope, ID
1976 Sculpture 1967-1976, Nicholas Wilder Gallery, Los Angles, CA
1974 Museum of Art, Washington State University, Pullman, WA
1970 Nebraska Wesleyan University, Lincoln, NE
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2008 25th Anniversary Exhibition, Linda Hodges Gallery, Seattle, WA; Century 21, Dealer's Choice, Wright Exhibition Space, Seattle, WA
2004 A Family Affair, Redbud Gallery, Houston, TX
2003 Animality, Linda Hodges Gallery, Seattle, WA; Edward Thorp Gallery, New York, NY
2002 Animal as Metaphor, Gail Sever Gallery, Sun Valley, ID; Aviary, Edward Thorp Gallery, New York, NY
2001 Dream Prints, Greg Kucera Gallery, Seattle, WA; Dream Prints, Hodges Taylor Gallery, Charlotte, NC; Dream Prints, Gail Severn Gallery, Sun Valley, ID; Husbands and Wives, Kittredge Gallery, University of Puget Sound, Seattle, WA; Edward Thorp Gallery, New York, NY; L.A. Louver Gallery, Venice, CA; Gail Severn Gallery, Sun Valley, ID; Inaugural Group Exhibition, Linda Hodges Gallery, Seattle, WA; Dream Prints, Sun Valley Center for the Arts, Sun Valley, ID; Edward Thorp Gallery, New York, NY; L.A. Louver Gallery, Venice, CA
1999 Edward Thorp Gallery, New York, NY; L.A. Louver Gallery, Venice, CA; Gail Severn Gallery, Sun Valley, ID
1998 Landscapes, Meyerson Nowinski Gallery, Seattle, WA; Edward Thorp Gallery, New York, NY; L.A. Louvre Gallery, Venice, CA; Galerie Redmann, Berlin, Germany; Landscape, Tacoma Art Museum, Tacoma, WA; Artist of the Rural Landscape, Whatcom Museum, Bellingham, WA
1997 5 Friends of Edward Kienholz, Galerie Redmann, Berlin, Germany; Edward Thorp Gallery, New York, NY; Gail Severn Gallery, Ketchum, ID; Meyerson and Nowinski Gallery, Invitational Drawing Exhibition, Seattle, WA; Art Fair, Represented by Galerie Redmann, Cologne, Germany
1996 Meyerson and Nowinski Gallery, Seattle, WA; Gail Severn Gallery, Ketchum, ID
1995 Five American Artist, Galerie Redmann, Berlin, Germany; Art Fair, Represented by Galerie Redmann, Cologne, Germany
1994 Galerie Redmann, Berlin, Germany; L.A. Louvre Gallery, Venice, CA
1993 Hope in Houston, Moody Gallery, Houston, TX
1991 Gallery Group Exhibition, Edward Thorp Gallery, New York, NY
1990 Story Line, Edward Thorp Gallery, New York, NY; Northwest by Southwest: Painted Fictions, Traveling Show, Palm Springs Desert Museum, Palm Springs, CA; With the Grain: Contemporary Panel Painting, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY; Selected Paintings, Drawing and Sculpture, John Berggruen Gallery, San Francisco, CA
1989 Group Show, L.A. Louvre Gallery, Venice, CA; Epiphanies, Edward Thorp Gallery New York, NY; Recent Acquisition, 1986-1989, Hirshhorn Museum, Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C.; A Certain Slant of Light, The Contemporary American Landscape, The Dayton Art Institute, Dayton, OH; 100 Years of Washington Art: New Perspectives, Tacoma Art Museum, Tacoma, WA
1988 Different Drummers, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture garden, Smithsonian Institute, Washington D.C.; Focus on the Collection, Neuberger Museum of Art, Purchase, NY
1987 Biennial Exhibition, Whitney Museum of American Art, NY; The Inland Empire, Braunstein/ Quay Gallery, San Francisco, CA
1986 New Narrative Painting, Selections from the Metropolitan Museum of Art; Phoenix Art Museum, Phoenix, AZ; Awards in the Visual Arts V, Traveling Show, Neuberger Museum of Art, Purchase, New York, NY; American/ European Art, Part II: Painting and Sculpture, L.A.; Louvre Gallery, Venice, CA; Miracles and Mysteries, University Art Gallery, California State University, Carson, CA
1985 American/ European: Painting and Sculpture, L.A. Louvre Gallery, Venice, CA; Contemporary American Wood Sculpture, Traveling Show, Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento, CA
1984 Gallery Artist, Edward Thorp Gallery, New York, NY
1980 Tableaux, An American Selection, Middendorf/ Lane Gallery, Washington D.C.
1977 Dixieme Biennale de Paris, Musse dArt Modern, Paris, France
1975 Concepts and Executions of 8 Sculptors, Missoula Museum of Arts, Missoula, MT
1972 Ashland College, Ashland, OR
1971 Brena Gallery, Denver, CO
1968 The 20th Spokane Annual Art Exhibition, Cheney Cowles Museum, Spokane, WA
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY
2008 Hackett, Regina, Seattle P.I., "Dealer's Choice, Shift the Rules," Life and Arts, Tuesday, September 23, 2008, pp 2 - 3; Freewater, Milton, Art Access, "Sampler" October 2008, Vol. 17, Number 8, pp. 8 - 9
2003 Poole, Scott/Helm, Robert. Hiding from Salesmen. Lost Horse Press, Sandpoint, Idaho
1999 Analwalt, Loretta/Helm, Robert. Dream Prints. Washington: Eastern Washington University Press
1995 Lindberg, Ted. Materializing Gold and Conjuring Poetry. Artifact, November/December 1995, pp. 16-20
1994 Mayo, Marti/Helm, Robert, Robert Helm, 1981-1993, Texas, University of Houston
1993 Johnson, Patricia C. Idaho Artists Offer Hope in Houston. Houston Chronicle, Apr. 22, 1993, sec. D, p. 10
1992 Kittredge, William/Helm, Robert. Lost Cowboys (but not forgotten) New York: Library Fellows of the Whitney Museum of American ArtKoplos, Janet. Robert Helm at Edward Thorp, Art in America, Feb.; Mahony, Robert. Robert Helm, ARTS Magazine, Jan.
1990 Adams, Brooks. Art on the Edge: The Boarder of Creativity, Vogue, July; Johns, Barbara, Modern Art from the Pacific Northwest, Seattle Art Museum
1989 Richard, Paul. Hirshhorns Display of Daring, Washington Post, Mar.
1988 Burchard, Hank. Different Drummers, Washington Post, MayLewis, Jo Ann. The Resonant Drummers, Washington Post, May
1987 Panicelli, Ida. Customs, Artforum, Summer; Yau, John. Robert Helm, Artforum, SummerCameron, Dan, and Salvioni, Daniela; The Whitney Biennial, Flash Art, Summer; Hughes, Robert. Navigating a Cultural Trough, Time, May Wilson, William; Pristine Anarchy, Los Angeles Times, April.Brenson, Michael. Art: Whitney Biennials New Look, The New York Times, Apr; Wallach, Amei. Mélange for Art Lovers, New York Newsday, Feb; Brenson, Michael. Robert Helm, The New York Times, Feb.
1985 Glueck, Grace. Today the Frame May Be Part of the Picture, The New York Times, March
1984 Johnson, Patricia. Helms Painting Superbly Crafted, Houston Chronicle, Feb.; Everingham, Carol J. Helms Paintings Superbly Crafted, Houston Chronicle, Feb.; Muchnic, Suzanne. Robert Helm, Artweek, May; Glowen, Ron. Robert Helm at Seattle Art Museum, Art in America, MayIvory, James; In the American Grain: Robert Helm, Artforum, Nov.
1983 Glowen, Ron. Unanswered Riddles Artweek, Dec.; Guenther, Bruce. 50 Northwest Artists: A Critical Survey of Painters and Sculptors Working in the Pacific Northwest, San Francisco Chronicle Books
1978 Wortz, Melinda. Love Poems, Artnews, AprilWilson, William; A Critical Guide to the Galleries: La Cienega Area, Los Angeles Times, Jan.; Muchnic, Suzanne; Robert Helms Containers for Materials and Ideas, Artweek, Jan.
1977 Gibson, Michael. Paris Biennial Shows a Surprising Diversity, International Herald Tribune, Sept.
1976 Perlmutter, Elizabeth. Master Drawings, Voluptuous Boxes. ArtNews, Sept.
AWARDS
2003-2004 Flintridge Foundation, Pasadena, CA
1986 Individual Artist Fellowship NEA Grant, Washington D.C.Award in the Visual Arts (AVA) Grant, South East Center for Contemporary Art, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
1978 Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD), Berlin, Germany
COLLECTIONS
Benzinger Winery, Imagery Series, Glen Ellen, CA; Chase Manhattan Bank, New York, NY; Cheney Cowles Museum, Spokane, WA; Federal Reserve Board Collection, Washington D.C.; Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington D.C.; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY; Museum of Northwest Art, La Conner, WA; Museum of Art, Washington State University, Pullman, WA; Neuberger Museum of Art, State University of New York Purchase, NY; Pepsi Co. Collection, Purchase, New York; Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, WA; Sheldon Museum of Art, Lincoln, NE; Tacoma Art Museum, Tacoma, WA; Thomas Amann Foundation, Zurich, Switzerland; Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY