Maria Helena Vieira da Silva On Sale

Maria Helena Vieira da Silva was born in Lisbon, Portugal. At the age of 11, she had begun seriously studying drawing and painting at that city's Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando in Madrid. In her teen years, she studied painting with Joseph Fernand Henri Léger, sculpture with Antoine Bourdelle, and engraving with Stanley William Hayter, all masters in their respective fields. Vieira da Silva also worked with Fauve artist Achille-Émile Othon Friesz. In 1928, Vieira da Silva left Lisbon to study sculpture in Paris but in 1929, she decided to focus on painting. By 1930, she was exhibiting her paintings in Paris that same year she married the Hungarian painter, Árpád Szenes. After a brief sojourn back in Lisbon and a period spent in Brazil during World War II (1940–47), Vieira da Silva lived and worked in Paris for the rest of her life. She adopted French citizenship in 1956. Vieira da Silva received the French government's Le Grand Prix National des Arts in 1966, the first woman to be honored with the coveted award. She was named a Chevalier of the Legion of Honor in 1979. She died in Paris, France, on 6 March 1992. Her name sometimes appears written as Elena but the correct version, in Portuguese, is Helena.

Explore a vast range of abstract prints on 1stDibs to find a piece to enhance your existing collection or transform a space.

Unlike figurative paintings and other figurative art, which focuses on realism and representational perspectives, abstract art concentrates on visual interpretation. An artist may use a single color or simple geometric forms to create a world of depth. Printmaking has a rich history of abstraction. Through materials like stone, metal, wood and wax, an image can be transferred from one surface to another.

During the 19th century, iconic artists, including Edvard Munch, Paul Cézanne, Georgiana Houghton and others, began exploring works based on shapes and colors. This was a departure from the academic conventions of European painting and would influence the rise of 20th-century abstraction and its pioneers, like Pablo Picasso and Piet Mondrian.

Some leaders of European abstraction, including Franz Kline, were influenced by the gestural shapes of East Asian calligraphy. Calligraphy interprets poetry, songs, symbols or other means of storytelling into art, from works on paper in Japan to elements of Islamic architecture.

Bold, daring and expressive, abstract art is constantly evolving and dazzling viewers. And entire genres have blossomed from it, such as Color Field painting and Minimalism.

The collection of abstract art prints on 1stDibs includes etchings, lithographs, screen-prints and other works, and you can find prints by artists such as Joan Miró, Alexander Calder and more.