Wilhelm von Helmersen | |
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 Wilhelm von Helmersen, a portrait by V.A. Svitalsky,Solovki prison camp, 1932 | |
| Born | (1873-08-23)August 23, 1873 |
| Died | 9 December 1937(1937-12-09) (aged 64) |
| Other names | Vassily Gelmersen |
| Known for | Silhouette art |
| Notable work | Illustrations toEugene Onegin |
Wilhelm Paul Christian Nikolai von Helmersen (Russian:Василий Васильевич Гельмерсен,tr.Vasiliy Vasil’evich Gel’mersen; August 23, 1873 – December 9, 1937) was aBaltic German artist and book illustrator. He is known mostly for his illustrations toEugene Onegin.
Wilhelm von Helmersen was born in 1873 into theBaltic German nobleHelmersen family, and was the grand nephew of the genealogistGregor von Helmersen.In 1899 he graduated from theSaint Petersburg University and began his career in theMinistry of the Imperial Court. By 1908, he had risen to aCourt Councilor and received the rank of Chamber Junker. However, in 1914, he quit the Ministry to work as an assistant director in the Palace Library ofNicholas II.
Since 1900, Helmersen was known for his silhouette artworks.He created illustrations toEugene Onegin,War and Peace,Dead Souls,A Hero of Our Time,The Shot. His works were included in the exhibitions at theImperial Academy of Arts.
After theRevolution, Helmersen worked in theState Russian Museum and in theRussian Academy of Sciences. In 1930, he was arrested as a result of apurge in the state institutions and sent to one of theGulag prison camps. In 1937, he was executed like many othervictims of the Great Purge.
Helmersen's most famous work was a series of 100 illustrations toEugene Onegin. One of them was published inVengerov's six-volume edition of Pushkin's works.
In 1910s Nikolay Lerner intended to publish an edition ofEugene Onegin illustrated by Helmersen, but this was not realized (most likely because of theWorld War and the Revolution).
In the Soviet period, another edition ofOnegin with Helmersen's illustrations was prepared in the State Literary Museum to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Pushkin's death, but it was also canceled. The illustrations, however, were displayed in theState Historical Museum during the Pushkin Anniversary Exhibition in 1937.[1]
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