Forbes, Helen

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Forbes, Helen

Etcher, muralist, painter. Born on Feb. 3, 1891 in San Francisco into a pioneer California family. Forbes studied at CSFA under Frank Van Sloun where she was awarded a lifetime scholarship in 1914.

While traveling in Europe for many years, she furthered her art training in Munich under Groeber and in Paris under André Lhote. After returning to California in 1924, she studied with Armin Hansen in Carmel.

During the 1930s she taught at UC Berkeley, was a resident of Palo Alto, and at one time lived in Death Valley in a deserted inn. Forbes died in San Francisco on May 27, 1945.

Painting in oil, watercolor, and tempera, her subjects included landscapes of Mexico and the Sierra, stark desert scenes of Death Valley as well as still lifes and portraits.

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