Helena's Dress: Brass Brooch

The copper enameling of this brooch is set in brass and sterling silver. It was created in 2026.

Artist Statement: "Nod to Helena"

My fascination for the Graham Sutherland’s portrait of Helena Rubinstein in the permanent collection of the Beaverbrook Art Gallery started roughly fifteen years ago when I was asked to help during a fundraiser.

Since then, often when visiting the gallery, I drop by to visit her and ask a passerby to take a photo. I will invite the photographer to guide me in the pose, where my eyes should look. As I age, I think I look more and more like her.

This spring, my opportunity to have an artist residency at the Beaverbrook Art Gallery inspired me to develop a body of work for this exhibition. I decided on a design challenge focused and inspired mostly by Helena’s dress. This meant working with colour. Through the exploration of copper enameling, I created a retro inspired collection that, in my mind, may have been commissioned by Helena herself. I hear she collected melamine or Lucite, so perhaps she would have enjoyed this playfulness inspired by her dress.

To read Brigitte Clavette's biography, scroll to the bottom of her artist page here.