In Conversation with Helene Blanche
Freeman's | Hindman is honored to present Design for Living: A Private Collection of Georg Jensen Silver this December 11 in New York. Join Nick Coombs, Senior Specialist of European Furniture & Decorative Arts, as he speaks to Helene Blanche, Designer and Founder of Helene Blanche Fabrics & Wallpaper. Thank you to Helene for the featured fabrics and wallpaper displayed throughout this Q&A.
Nick Coombs, Senior Specialist, European Furniture & Decorative Arts: Helene, tell us a little about your background and training and what inspired you to become a designer.
Helene Blanche, Designer and Founder of Helene Blanche, Fabrics & Wallpaper: I trained in textile design at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in London, but I’ve always been inspired by art and artists and have a sense of working in a broader artistic tradition. Artists such as the Danish painter Wilhelm Lundstrøm and French artist Fernand Léger were key sources of inspiration for my fabric designs involving a series of small repetitive patterns, maintaining the same focus on contrast in colors and shapes as they did. The sculpture and art installations I saw while taking art and sculpture classes before I began my degree filled me with fascination and joy. This introduction to art gave me time to reflect and to be curious. I can relate to the artist’s work and methods when I hand-paint and design a new pattern using the tools I learned back then.
From left to right:
Lot 31 | A Pair of Johan Rohde Designed Georg Jensen Silver Acorn Pattern Five-Light Candelabra |
Estimate: $30,000 - 50,000
Lot 33 | A Pair of Johan Rohde Designed Georg Jensen Silver Vases | Estimate: $1,500 – 2,500
Lot 48 | A Harald Nielsen Designed Georg Jensen Silver Cocktail Shaker | Estimate: $2,000 - 3,000
Lot 47 | A Large Harald Nielsen Designed Georg Jensen Cocktail Shaker | Estimate: $5,000 – 7,000
NC: The extraordinary silver designs in this collection are about this timeless synergy between form and function. What practical considerations must you make when sourcing and deciding on the raw materials to ensure your designs function well with their end-use in mind?
HB: Quality is everything when considering the materials in my work. I source silk from Italy, linens, and cotton woven in Belgium, and I use English artisans to make our wallpapers. Sourcing the best starting point for the fabrics and wallpapers impacts the final finish and presentation. For the designs, I start with pencil, ink, or charcoal on paper to get the balance of the composition. I am attracted to and instinctively fascinated by the simple: the beauty in a line, a brush stroke, or a drop of ink. My job is to compose these elements through repetition so that a pattern emerges. Then come the colors. My working process is about allowing the prints and patterns to unfold in a vibrant and artistic process.
From left to right:
Lot 25 | A Pair of Georg Jensen Silver Two-Light Candelabra | Estimate: $10,000 - 20,000
Lot 53 | A Set of Twelve Georg Jensen Silver Grapevine Goblets | Estimate $8,000 – 12,000
Lot 54 | A Georg Jensen Silver Grapevine Pattern Coaster | Estimate: $4,000 - 6,000
NC: Growing up near the lakes and forests just outside Copenhagen was an enduring source of inspiration for Jensen, and many of his works include organic themes. What are the primary influences or inspirations you draw from in your work?
HB: I like to draw inspiration from various artistic movements and cultures. I’m equally at home with Japanese minimalism and avant-garde artists as I am with European Neoclassicism, Cubist art, and historic Parisian textiles! I think the pared-down simplicity of some of the later Jensen designs and the organic forms are ideas and inspirations I share – that studied simplicity is also very much part of a Scandinavian design aesthetic that is a tradition my work becomes a part of.
From left to right:
Lot 2 | A Georg Jensen Silver Footed Bowl | Estimate: $2,000 - 3,000
Lot 32 | A Pair of Johan Rohde Designed Georg Jensen Silver Candlesticks | Estimate: $5,000 - 7,000
Lot 33 | A Pair of Johan Rohde Designed Georg Jensen Silver Vases | Estimate: $1,500 – 2,500
Lot 48 | A Harald Nielsen Designed Georg Jensen Silver Cocktail Shaker | Estimate: $2,000 - 3,000
Lot 47 | A Large Harald Nielsen Designed Georg Jensen Cocktail Shaker | Estimate: $5,000 – 7,000
NC: Our marketing photography used the Eivor stripe and drop pattern fabrics. Could you tell us more about the origins of these particular designs?
HB: The Drop Collection explored how a single drop of ink behaves when it meets a surface. It’s a very simple idea, but sometimes, the most beautiful things in life are exquisitely simple. The Eivor stripe is one of our newest designs and combines the visual interest or complexity of the interlinked elements, including different stripe widths. The way the darker and lighter elements interplay again comes from the idea of how inks behave and do, in a small way, reference the beauty of ikat.
From left to right:
Lot 21 | A Set of Six Georg Jensen Silver and Moonstone Mounted Beakers | Estimate: $6,000 - 8,000
Lot 20 | A Georg Jensen Silver and Moonstone Mounted Vase | Estimate: $3,000 - 5,000
NC: Finally, if you could choose 2 or 3 works from the collection for your own home, what would they be, and why are you drawn to them?
HB: I love lots 20 and 21, including these ethereal inset moonstone mounts. The beautiful blue tones against the silver and the natural shell ornaments recall Renaissance ideas about Venus, love, and rebirth. They also have an incredibly modern feel. The Harald Nielsen designed thirteen-light candelabra (lot 42), which is much grander and makes an incredible statement. I could picture these on pedestals in mirrored alcoves in a contemporary dining room setting. They would look exquisite against the spot wallpapers in my collection with their iridescent surface detail! Last but not least, lot 47 – the Harald Nielson cocktail shaker for the holiday season is wonderful – the fine hammered details and floral-cut openings for the sieve in the top are so elegant for entertaining. They would provide a wonderful talking point for guests.