Thorvald Hellesen

Thorvald Hellesen (25 December 1888 – 22 October 1937) was a Norwegian abstract artist, designer and painter, recognized as a pioneering Cubist in Norway. . His art was associated with the Orphic Cubism movement and early non-figurative art. Hellesen is often cited as Norway's first Cubist painter, though his contributions went largely overlooked for decades. In the early 20th century he mingled with leading Parisian avant-garde figures, developing a distinct style that balanced vibrant color and geometric form. By the 2010s and 2020s, renewed scholarly and market interest – including a major 2023 retrospective – brought Hellesen back into the modern art canon, drawing parallels to the posthumous rediscovery of Swedish abstract pioneer Hilma af Klint.