Ben Uri Research Unit

Born: 1907 Vladivostok, Russia

Died: 1979 Hayling Island, England

Year of Migration to the UK: 1947

Other name/s: Elena Nikolsky, Helen Nikolsky, Elena A. Rachkovsky-Nikolsky, H. A. Nikolsky

Biography

Sculptor Helene Nikolsky (also referred to as Elena, her Russian name, or Helen) was born in Vladivostok, in eastern Russia, on 21 April 1907. From an early age, she showed a strong artistic inclination, which led her to pursue formal training in Kiev, then part of the Russian Empire (now Kyiv, Ukraine), before moving to Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) at the age of 17 to specialise in sculpture. It was there that she met her future husband, Afanasy Nikolsky (sometimes referred to as Athanasius Nikolsky), a painter. The couple married in Poland in 1932 and dedicated their lives to their artistic practice — Afanasy working in oil and watercolour, while Nikolsky focused on sculpture.

Their lives were profoundly disrupted by the Second World War. When the Nazis invaded, they were forced to flee their home in Kyiv. The couple subsequently spent the war moving across Europe with their two sons, Maxim (b. 1939) and Anton (b. 1944), as well as Afanasy’s mother, Angelina. Eventually, they found refuge in a displaced persons camp in the British Zone in Germany. In 1947, seeking stability, the family relocated to England, initially settling in a United Nations camp in Bedhampton, before making their home at 18 Northney Road on Hayling Island, where Helene lived for over 30 years and created much of her work. At first, Afanasy worked on a local farm while Nikolsky focused on raising their children. Once their sons were older, she returned to her sculpture. She worked from a small studio above a fish and chip shop in North Street, Havant, creating portrait busts and figurative sculptures. The couple became British citizens in 1954, and both actively participated in the British art world.

Nikolsky’s work gained increasing recognition in the 1950s and 1960s. She regularly exhibited in southern England and was particularly known for her portrait sculptures, which she created using plaster, clay, terracotta, and red brick. One of her earliest documented exhibitions was in 1952 at the Portsmouth and Hampshire Art Society’s annual exhibition, where she displayed a plaster cast. In the Art Society's show the following year, she exhibited The Unknown Political Prisoner, a striking piece depicting a seated figure lost in thought, with its granite base cleverly carved with prison bars.

A major career milestone came in 1958, when her plaster bust Vera, a portrait of a 13-year-old North Hayling girl of Russian origin, was accepted into the 190th Royal Academy Exhibition - and she showed again in 1963. Nikolsky considered this a lifelong ambition fulfilled, and her husband described it as ‘something that an artist dreams of’ (Portsmouth Evening News, 28 April 1958, p. 2). The same year, she exhibited Julie and Helen at the Portsmouth and Hampshire Art Society’s 44th annual exhibition, where it was singled out for its ‘superb artistry’ (Portsmouth Evening News, 2 May 1958, p. 35). In July 1959, the Nikolskys held their first joint exhibition at the prestigious Foyles Art Gallery in London, which was opened by Russian ballerina Svetlana Beriosova (Daily News, 29 July 1959, p. 3). This marked a significant moment in their artistic careers, introducing their work to a wider audience beyond the south of England. Later that year, in September 1959, they held another joint exhibition at St. John’s College, Southsea, which was opened by their personal friend, artist R. O. Dunlop, R.A. Among the eight meticulously modelled busts Nikolsky exhibited, one was a portrait of Dunlop himself. In 1961, she achieved further international success when two of her sculptures were accepted at the prestigious Paris Salon. Competing against entries from around the world, she received an honourable mention. This recognition was particularly remarkable as one of the exhibited works was completed just four months after she had undergone major heart surgery.

Nikolsky’s work was widely recognised for its realism and technical precision, and her portrait busts captured the essence of her subjects with meticulous detail. She demonstrated her sculpting skills publicly, including at a Bognor Regis Art Society event in 1960, where she modelled a portrait bust live before an audience. Her ability to create striking likenesses in a short period impressed those who witnessed her at work. She continued to contribute to significant exhibitions throughout the 1960s. In 1963, her portrait bust of D. H. Hibbert, CBE, MA, in red brick was exhibited at the Royal Academy. In 1964, she exhibited two sculptures at the Society of Women Artists’ London exhibition, solidifying her place within the British art establishment. In 1965, she was commissioned to create a bust of Denys Heseltine Hibbert, the headmaster of Portsmouth Grammar School. Nikolsky’s artistic legacy remained deeply tied to her local community, with exhibitions in Portsmouth, Southsea, Chichester, and Arundel; her work primarily displayed in regional exhibitions rather than in major public venues. Helene Nikolsky died on 21 January 1979 in England. Her work is not currently represented in UK public collections.

Related books

‘Achievement’, Portsmouth Evening News, 1 July 1961, p. 2
‘Town and Country Gossip by Belinda’, Bognor Regis Observer, 4 November 1960, p. 3
‘Scultpress’, Portsmouth Evening News, 25 May 1960, p. 2
‘Fine Selection at Art Display’, Portsmouth Evening News, 20 May 1960, p. 8
A.A. Nikolsky, Paintings; Helen Nikolsky, Sculpture (London: Foyles Art Gallery, 1959)
‘Polish Couple Find Contentment In Art’, Portsmouth Evening News, 9 September 1959, p. 2
‘Southsea Art Show by Man and Wife’, Portsmouth Evening News, 8 September 1959, p. 7
‘Barter Art’, Daily News, 29 July 1959, p. 3
‘Chichester Art Show Has Many Fine Works’, 25 July 1958, p. 5
‘Something For All Tastes In Southsea Show’, Portsmouth Evening News, 2 May 1958, p. 35
‘Art Showing’, Portsmouth Evening News, 28 April 1958, p. 2
Art Quarterly, Vols. 2-4, 1958, p. 29
‘A Fair Selection’, Portsmouth Evening News, 4 August 1954, p. 4
‘Mrs. Helene Nikolsky’, Portsmouth Evening News, 3 July 1954, p. 3
‘Amateur Artists Advised To Take A Chance’, Bognor Regis Observer, 8 August 1953, p. 6
‘Diary of Man Portsmouth’, Hampshire Telegraph, 17 April 1953, p. 4
‘Political Prisoner’ Who Stirs No-one to Anger’, Portsmouth Evening News, 10 April 1953, p. 15
‘Art Show Is The Best Yet’, Portsmouth Evening News, 17 May 1952, p. 2
'John Citizen Diary’, Portsmouth Evening News, 22 June 1951, p. 2

Related organisations

Portsmouth Society (member)

Selected exhibitions

Society of Women Artists’ Exhibition, London (1964)
Royal Academy of Arts, London (1963, 1958)
Portsmouth and Hampshire Art Society (1960, 1958, 1953, 1952)
Joint exhibition with Afanasy Nikolsky, St. John’s College, Southsea (1958)
A.A. Nikolsky, Paintings: Helen Nikolsky, Sculpture, Foyles Art Gallery, London (1959)
Chichester Art Society, Assembly Rooms, Chichester, Sussex (1958)
Cumberland House, Southsea (1954)
Chichester Art Society, Chichester, Sussex (1954)

Ben Uri archive

Consult items in the Ben Uri archive related to [Helene Nikolsky]