The locations of many of Andersen’s paintings are unknown, so this site offers owners of her work a way to identify themselves and the artwork(s) they have. If you have a Helen Andersen piece, please use the Contact link in the menu bar to have your piece entered into this database.
Even if you do not own a Helen Andersen piece, but know the present location of one of the images in the thumbnails, please share that information so that it can be recorded.
Art historians and archivists
Helen Andersen is a relatively unrecognized artist but she knew and studied with contemporary artists of note. Bob Davidson, Jacques de Tonnancour, John Koerner, Joe Plaskett, Bill Porteous, Bill Reid and Jack Shadbolt were among her teachers, friends and correspondents.
A fairly extensive collection of original documents pertaining to Helen Andersen’s artistic career have been preserved, including notes, letters and photographs. They could be made available to scholars, archivists, universities or museums if the purpose is a good one. Please use the Contact link if you want to discuss this possibility.
How the archived images were obtained
Most of the images were scanned from colour photographs or 35mm slides that were in the effects of Helen’s husband Fritz Raabye Andersen after his death in 2005. They were taken in less than ideal conditions, evidently in an effort to catalogue works, but not to produce reproduction quality images.
Images of works whose locations are known have been photographed more accurately, but are still not reproduction quality. The purpose of the images presented here is to allow recognition of particular pieces, not to represent them as they are. Colours, crops and details are sometimes incorrect.
I have one of Helen Andersen’s paintings
It is titled Night at crater lake it is an oil
it is 120×130 cm or about 49 in.x40in.
it also says #47 on the back of it
any collectors interested?
Thank you for your message, Broken Cloud. I will reply to you directly by email.
I recently purchased a Helen Andersen painting at a thrift store. I had not recognised the artist at the time but immediately fell in love with the painting. I can take a photo of it and send it to you? I am pretty certain it is the same artist. You are welcome to message me.
How exciting, Marian! I will reply to you by email. Thank you for writing. I would be delighted to see photos, front and back, of your find.
I have a charcoal picture that originally belonged to Beatrice (Joyce) Kean from Chicago. It was of her beloved dog and I was told that it was a gift from the artist. I am trying to find out if this is the same “Helen Anderson” that is on this site?
My father worked for Beatrice Kean from the 1950’s to 1973 (when she passed away). He was her private pilot and accompanied her during travels all over the world. He loved this picture and told me that it was given to Beatrice as a gift from the artist. My father is now 93 years old and in a memory care facility and unfortunately he has Alzheimer’s so I can’t ask him any further questions about this picture. Years ago he did tell me that this was done for Beatrice and it was of her beloved dog. That’s all I know about it.
I am just curious about the artist and when I found this site I thought that the printed signature seemed to fit as well as the years she was producing art.
Hi, Dorothy. Thank you for your message. I suppose it is possible that your charcoal was done by my mother, Helen Andersen. Helen did make a trip or two to Chicago when she was working as a sales rep for a correspondence school based there.
I can recognize Helen’s work and her signatures (they changed over the years). If you send a snapshot as an email attachment, I can probably tell right away.
My first thought is that the charcoal is probably not by my mother. Is the signature spelled Anderson or Andersen? My mother’s pictures are signed with the Andersen spelling. On early pictures, she also signed them “Andy” (her nickname).
Hello, Helen is a relative, and I have a few photos of her, I believe some paintings as well, but I would have to dig (we have many paintings from her parents). You can email me if you’d like
I was gifted an original Helen Andersen “The Round Winds Of Iran” as a wedding gift in 1983. Do you have any record of this one?
Thank you for your messages, Debbie. Did you receive my email reply? I attached a photo of one of Helen’s Winds of Iran pieces. We have it hanging in our kitchen.
We have some Helen Andersen artwork. Please let me know an email address that I can send pictures to