Thorvald Hellesen - Portrait of a Woman - NG.M.04199 - National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design

From 1920, Hellesen attended exhibitions in the Salon des Indépendants and the Galerie la Boëtie in Paris. In 1925, he participated at the Exposition Internationale L'Art d'Aujourd'hui in Paris. He would remain in Paris for the next two decades, with occasional visits to Norway and Denmark. He had held only one exhibition of his works at home in 1919; choosing to exhibit mostly with the Salon des indépendants and the Section d'Or. He appears to have exhibited very little after a major showing of avant-garde art in 1925. In addition to his paintings, he did decorative work, notably at the Sjøfartsbygningen in Oslo, as well as designing patterns for textiles and wallpaper. He married painter Hélène Perdriat in 1915. The marriage was a troubled one, however, and was eventually dissolved. In 1937, he married his presumed mistress, a dancer named Guni Mortensen. During the course of that affair, he found himself gradually becoming estranged from the local art community and had to take odd jobs as a movie bit player. In the fall of 1937, after an extended period of poor health, he fell seriously ill and returned home; dying shortly thereafter.