Maria Helena Vieira da Silva
Maria Helena Vieira da Silva (Lisbon, 1908 – Paris, 1992), wishing to develop her training and her artistic career, left for Paris with her mother, in 1928. She studied sculpture at the Grande Chaumière Academy with Bourdelle, and at the Scandinavian Academy, with Despiau. She attended painting courses, having as teachers Fernand Léger and Roger Bissière, and studied engraving at Hayter’s famous “studio 17”. Meanwhile, she met painter Arpad Szenes, whom she married in 1930. In 1933, she had her first solo exhibition at Jeanne Bucher’s gallery, and two years later she showed her work in Portugal for the first time, at UP Gallery. Throughout this decade, her work withdrew from the representation of the real, going gradually into the field of abstraction. She was interested in the representation of space, which she created through crossed grids and lines, abandoning perspective in her work. With the declaration of war in 1939, and given the Jewish origin of Arpad, the couple left for Lisbon. However, the Portuguese State refused to give nationality to Arpad and they were forced to exile in Rio de Janeiro, where they stayed between 1940 and 1947. If production was significantly reduced during this period, reflecting the disturbances and anxieties that the war had caused, it became richer upon the return to Paris, in 1947. Vieira da Silva went back to showing her work regularly, producing all-encompassing work, constantly acclaimed by the critics. In 1948, the acquisition of one of her works by the French government would confirm the recognition her work had achieved. In 1952, she again requested Portuguese nationality, but although she already had an internationally recognized successful career, her request was denied. Although she already belonged to the Paris school, she remained stateless until 1956, when she finally obtained French nationality. In the following decade, her work had enormous projection and acclaim, culminating, in the last years, in various exhibitions, awards and decorations. The following stand out: The French decorations, Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (1960) and Commandeur de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (1962), the International Painting Award at the São Paulo Biennial (1961), the Grand Prix National des Arts (1966) and the election as Member of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of London (1988). In 1990, the Arpad Szenes-Vieira da Silva Foundation was created in Lisbon. She is one of the most represented Portuguese artists in international Museums and countless private collections.
FMV, June 2020
