The 'Helga' paintings garnered much attention and controversy when they were first exhibited in 1986, as they were created in secret and had not been previously shown to the public.

The paintings depict Testorf in various poses and settings, and they are known for their highly detailed and realistic style. Testorf was a neighbor and model for Wyeth, and he painted her over a period of 15 years in secret. One of Wyeth's most famous series of paintings is his 'Helga' collection, which depicts a woman named Helga Testorf. Wyeth's work often explores themes of isolation, mystery, and the human condition. He is best known for his detailed, realistic paintings, many of which depict the landscapes and people of rural Pennsylvania and Maine. Over the next two decades, portions of the collection were displayed at regional museums around the United States, including venues in Charlotte, N.C., Louisville, Ky., Lafayette, La., Portland, Me., and Canton, Ohio, as well as at museums in Japan.Andrew Wyeth was an American painter who was born in 1917 and passed away in 2009. The collection was exhibited and sold twice in the course of three years: The first sale was made, in 1986, to publisher-collector Leonard Andrews (directly by the artist) and later, in 1989, to a Japanese corporation (not disclosed at the time) for an amount reportedly exceeding $40 million.Ī two-year long exhibition of the full collection began in 1987 at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., and subsequently traveled to Boston, Brooklyn, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

The “Helga” portraits, many nude, were painted over a period of 15 years and were revealed to the art world in 1986. No other future plans for exhibits or loans have been announced. Under a preexisting arrangement, it is scheduled to go on display at the Naples Museum of Art, Fla., this month (Jan. The seller was a Japanese corporation, according to Fowler, who adds that a condition of sale was that the entire collection remain intact. Though few details have been made public, the transaction was brokered by Wyeth’s longtime dealer Frank Fowler, of Lookout Mountain, Tenn. NEW YORK-The entire collection of Andrew Wyeth’s “Helga” series-comprising 244 drawings and paintings of his neighbor Helga Testorf-was sold in early December to an American collector for an undisclosed price.

The helga pictures