Paul César Helleu

Paul César Helleu (17 December 1859 – 23 March 1927) was a French oil painter, pastel artist, drypoint etcher, and designer, best known for his numerous portraits of beautiful society women of the Belle Époque. He also conceived the ceiling mural of night sky constellations for Grand Central Terminal in New York City. He was also the father of Jean Helleu and the grandfather of Jacques Helleu, both artistic directors for Parfums Chanel.

Biography Drawing of Helleu by John Singer Sargent from the early 1880s. Sargent cherished this candid drawing of his lifelong friend and hung it in the dining room of his Paris apartment.

Paul César Helleu was born in Vannes, Brittany, France. His father, who was a customs receiver, died when Helleu was in his teens. Despite opposition from his mother, he then went to Paris and studied at Lycée Chaptal. In 1876, at age 16, he was admitted to the , beginning academic training in art with Jean-Léon Gérôme. His subjects included the Duchess of Marlborough, the Marchesa Casati, Belle da Costa Greene, Jeanne de Montagnac, Louise Chéruit, and Helena Rubinstein.

Helleu made his last trip to New York City in 1920 for an exhibition of his work, but he realized that the Belle Époque was over. He felt out of touch, and shortly after his return to France, he destroyed nearly all of his copper plates and retired to family life. While planning for a new exhibition with Jean-Louis Forain, he died in 1927 at age 67 of peritonitis following surgery in Paris.

Among many of his friends was Coco Chanel, who chose beige as her signature colour upon on his advice—the colour of the sand on the beach of Biarritz in early morning. Both his son Jean Helleu and his grandson Jacques Helleu became artistic directors for Parfums Chanel.

An online Catalogue raisonné providing an overview of his work is under development by L'association Les Amis de Paul-César Helleu.

Pastel portraits

Prints

Oil paintings

Miscellaneous subjects