BRITISH COLUMBIA ARTISTS  

Jack Forbes Helem

January 25 1909 - August 6 2000

Camera Art Club of Vancouver (President)


Forbes Helem was born in Calgary, Alberta in 1909. He married Valerie Eva Woodside in Vancouver on June 15 1943. She was a school teacher, he was noted as "Druggist - Pharmacy." The marriage was dissolved in 1960.

He exhibited one bromide photograph at the Canadian National Exhibition in 1939. He was noted in the catalogue as living in Vancouver.

He had a solo exhibition of abstract photography at the Vancouver Art Gallery in 1940, and a two-person exhibition of photography in 1942 with Hugh Aikens. He also exhibited there with the Camera Art Club of Vancouver in 1942 and 1943. He was President of the Club in 1942. He was a Branch Manager for Owl Drugs in 1940.

In May 1948 he was one of the "$10 Photo Winners" of a Vancouver Sun photography contest.

Helem died in Vancouver in 2000 at the age of 91. He was widowed from Kathleen Bliss, his occupation noted as "Pharmacist."


SOLO EXHIBITIONS
DATE EXHIBITION LOCATION
1940 Oct. 15 - 27 Abstract photography VAG
1942 June 23 - July 5 Forbes Helem & Hugh Aikens (photography) VAG

GROUP EXHIBITIONS
DATE EXHIBITION ARTWORK
1939 Aug. 25 - Sept. 9 CNE   Toronto Salon of Cdn. Photography Colophon to the Day
1940 June 4 - 23 VAG   1st Pictorial Photography Salon Study in Black Cloth
The Ambitious Puddle
Rest Period
1942 July - ? CACV 6th Annual title?
1943 July - Sept. 2 CACV 7th Annual Crystal Ballet
Horizon 1942

References

B.C. VITAL STATISTICS ON-LINE marriage, death (refer to BCVS)

Clippings

"Forbes Helem, president of the club; Anna Abrahamson, Lillian Dow Davidson, V.J. Eby, and W.T. Thorne, DSC, the five exhibitors have quite apparently expended much time and thought to obtain the results."
      From "Two Exhibitions At Art Gallery"
      Vancouver Sun, July 8 1942

"Outstanding prints include ... Forbes Helem's strong "Crystal Ballet" with its unusual design in the figure and great space above and his grim but most effective "Horizon 1942." ...
      From "Summer Show at Gallery Major Event for Art Lovers" by Palette
      Vancouver Province, July 7 1943

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