BURIED TOGETHER

Partner Helena Westermarck

Queer Places:
Académie Colarossi, 10 Rue de la Grande Chaumière, 75006 Paris
Hietaniemen hautausmaa, Hietaniemenkatu 20, 00100 Helsinki, Finland

Helene Schjerfbeck (July 10, 1862 - January 23, 1946) was born on July 10, 1862, in Helsinki, Grand Duchy of Finland, and grew up to become one of Finland's most celebrated and pioneering modern painters. Displaying exceptional artistic talent from a young age, she enrolled as a child prodigy at the Drawing School of the Finnish Art Society when she was only eleven years old. Her early training was marked by rapid progress and numerous awards, allowing her to continue her studies abroad as she navigated a European art world that was often restrictive toward women.

During her foundational student years in Helsinki and later in Paris, Schjerfbeck formed a profound and enduring bond with fellow artist and writer Helena Westermarck. The two women met at the Finnish Art Society's drawing school and became lifelong companions, supporting one another through their artistic endeavors. Schjerfbeck even chose to spell her name as "Helene" specifically to distinguish herself from her newfound friend. Alongside other notable creatives such as Maria Wiik and Ada Thilén, Schjerfbeck and Westermarck belonged to a close-knit circle of Nordic female artists affectionately referred to as the "painter sisters" or "sisters of the brush". Together, they traveled to Paris to study at private institutions like Mme Trélat de Vigny's studio and the Académie Colarossi, sharing a dedication to unembellished, modern techniques and rigorous professional self-fashioning.

Schjerfbeck immortalized this deep personal and professional connection in her famous 1884 work, Portrait of Helena Westermarck, which depicts Westermarck intensely focused on her artistic labor at the Paris academy. While Westermarck was forced to abandon painting after contracting pulmonary tuberculosis in France—subsequently pivoting to a successful career as a writer, cultural historian, and women's rights activist—their lifelong friendship persisted across decades. Even as Schjerfbeck retreated from metropolitan art circles later in life due to her secluded lifestyle and health, she continuously maintained her ties with Westermarck, who remained one of her most cherished confidantes until Westermarck's death in 1938.


Portrait of Helena Westermarck, 1884

Schjerfbeck's career evolved remarkably over the decades, spanning early academic realism, impressionism, and striking, avant-garde modernist self-portraits characterized by reduction and psychological intensity. Though she spent long periods living in isolation—first in Hyvinkää and later in Tammisaari (Ekenäs)—her reputation steadily grew internationally, championed by Swedish art dealers and major retrospective exhibitions. She passed away on January 23, 1946, leaving behind a monumental body of work that cemented her legacy as a master of modern expression.

References:

Support this project
This website is a passion project researched, developed, and funded entirely by me. If you find the content valuable and would like to help support the ongoing research and hosting costs, any contribution is deeply appreciated.
Thank you for keeping this independent resource alive!

My books on Amazon: Elisa Rolle's books

BACK TO HOME PAGE