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The Arts Intel Report

Hélène de Beauvoir: The Woman Destroyed

The sisters Simone and Hélène de Beauvoir.

Jan 23 – Mar 2, 2025
12, 14 Whitfield St, London W1T 2RF, United Kingdom

You might have not heard of Hélène de Beauvoir, but you’ve undoubtedly heard of her older sister, Simone, the feminist, writer, and partner of Jean-Paul Sartre. Long overshadowed by Simone, Hélène, a painter who died in 2001, is finally being recognized with a show in London. The relationship between Simone and Hélène was intricate. “The sisters worked together, championed each other, protected each other, were jealous of each other, and fought with each other,” says the gallerist Amar Singh. Titled “The Woman Destroyed,” the exhibition takes its name from a 1967 collection of Simone’s stories for which Hélène created a series of engravings. The show brings these engravings together with a first edition of Simone’s book, as well as pieces by Hélène that trace her artistic evolution from figuration to abstraction—all imbued with the feminist themes that defined both sisters. —Jeanne Malle

Photo: Courtesy of The Guardian