At an early age, Rivière was drawn to the depiction of animals, and in 1938 she won the Rosa Bonheur prize for her talent as an animalier. She was also known for her flower paintings and for landscapes of the Tarn region, views of the eastern Pyrenees and the charming seaside villages of Collioure and Banyuls, where she spent some time being instructed by her great friend and mentor Henri Martin. Rivière began to participate in exhibitions of artists in the south of France from 1920. She also exhibited after 1926 in Paris at the Salon des Artistes Français where her work won a silver medal in 1931 and a gold medal in 1935. She won another silver medal at the International Exposition of 1937.

Following in her father’s footsteps, Rivière became a professor of art at a school for young women in Toulouse. She died in 1977, putting an end, as one journalist wrote at the time, “to her relationship with art, the companion of her life.”

Listed: E. Bénézit, Dictionnaire Critique et Documentaire des Peintres, Sculpteurs, Dessinateurs et Graveurs, Gründ, Paris, 1999.

All the works by Rivière are in hand-crafted frames from Les Cadres RG, Paris

Hélène Rivière 1896-1977
Three Turkeys
Charcoal and pastel on yellowish-brown paper
Estate stamp, upper right
Provenance: Estate of the artist
Sheet size: 19 X 25 inches
Frame size: 27½ X 33½ inches
FC06170   $2,800
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Hélène Rivière 1896-1977
A Pair ofTurkeys
Pastel and charcoal on brown paper bearing the INGRES watermark
Atelier stamp, lower right, and on the verso
Sheet size: 24¾ X 19 inches
Frame size: 29 X 34 5/8 inches
FC06158   $2,800
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