Peter Helck wrote and illustrated"The Checkered Flag";a damn good read and chock full of info for those who love those cars of the "Heroic Age". He had a pretty good collection of early racers inculding "Old 16",the most famous racing car in the world(Vanderbilt winner).I believe it was a Locomobile.
Thanks for the reminder. Peter Helck was a tremendous car guy and an equally tremendous artist. I'm old enough to remember him and his art. Also, old enough to have CRAFT disease, so thanks for re-lighting my memory bulb.
He did alot of great work, a friend of mine has an original hanging on his wall. I really enjoy the feelings of paintings, and being so acurate you can almost see the action and emotions in his work. One of my favorites is the one if the White Squadron Stutz racing in SF against a Simplex(?)
Peter Helck lived about an hour and a half away from Ridgefield and would bring one of his cars to the fall meet the HCCA held here. "Old 16" was everyones favorite the Locomobile race car that the Ford family saved from an overseas sale, go see it in Dearborn next time you're there. He had an Areo powered "Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang" type racer on a chain drive Mercedes ch***is, I've lost track of that one. His 1913 Mercer Raceabout just got a new owner that I'm sure will be running it again.
Not just a great artist....a very important one as well...the last man from the golden American Illustration years......a true craftsmen and visual genius. Stood high and was on the same level as Cornwell,Rockwell,Mead Shaeffer and Sunblum..... ...a true master. great post.
I have no way to prove it but I think this was a Peter Helck work done during WWII. That halftrack looks like it's flying.
I just found this board and it's great to see my grandfather and his work are remembered by you guys. My father and I have been putting together a site for Peter Helck art work. Here's the url: http://www.thelck.com/peterhelck/index.php It's very much a work in progress, so check it from time to time to see what's new. Regards, Tim Helck
Tim, Welcome and thanks for that link.....what a wonderful artist and talent... The Old Masters will live on! Respectfully, Johnny
Fabulous artist. Just think, computers will never match what he was able to do. His work is breathtakingly real with a sense of dynamic power and mechanics. What a great talent. Thanks for posting the reminders.
Wow, thanks for sharing that. The old time magazine ad illustrators are some of my heroes, it's nice to hear a little about one. I collect that stuff. Can you imagine a new car in one of those adverti*****ts? No, me neither. Besides, then where would they print "Professional driver, closed course, do not attempt to have fun with an automobile."
Nice to see this thread, I am one of Peter Helck's grandsons (also named Peter Helck), and I appreciate that there are still folks around who remember his art, his books, and in some cases the man himself. The various cars he owned have all moved on to others, although many of his earlier paintings remain in the family. I think you could divide my grandfathers artwork into 3 categories- Early work, which consisted of landscapes, typically of England, Spain, or the Hudson Valley Commercial work- Illustration for magazines and advertising, often for automobile related products. Later work- Almost exclusively racing imagery, done either for private clients or for his 3 books (the 3rd book, never published, was a biography of Ralph Mulford, I don't know what became of it). My family retains a number of the early stuff, as I said, I don't think we have any of the commercial stuff at all, and between us we have a number of the later pieces, although I have no automobile stuff myself. My late brother Timothy maintained a website (peterhelck.com) with some history and images. Again, thank you all.
Your Grandfather was a great artist and a really nice person. I have two copies of his books on auto racing art and one is a signed copy with a note to my grandfather who was an early car collector and friend of your grandfather. I copied what he wrote in the signed copy of Checkered Flag. I spoke to him years ago and corresponded as well during the early 80s regarding early racecars. I seem to remember in his last correspondence that he told me his eyesight was failing a bit and he had to rely on a secretary (if my memory serves me) to answer letters. When I visited George Wingard in the 80s he bought a couple of originals from your grandfather and had one hanging in this dining room and another in his library in the ba*****t. The one in the ba*****t was a really curious piece. I believe George told me that your grandfather had an office in New York and painted a street scene looking down from his office of the garbage men loading a dump truck with garbage from garbage cans. The one guy was standing on the garbage while the workers handed up the cans. Even his artwork of garbage was amazing. A really great guy IMO.
One of my favorite T Head MERCER photos, the Helck family at our Ridgefield HCCA Fall Meet sometime before 1964. I finally got my first T Head MERCER ride in this car in 2010, unforgettable! Bob
I was told my grandfather knew exactly what he wanted to do in life by the time he was 12 years old, which was to be an artist. Pretty sure he was a terrible student and actually dropped out of high school, but he read voraciously and was certainly no dummy at all. He did lose his eyesight late in life due to macular degeneration, and yes, he had regular help from Swede (can't recall his last name). This image has 4 of his works, the 2 large paintings (which to me look like Italy or Spain) are of 'Highbridge', actually an aqueduct over the Harlem River in NYC. It still exists today. The farm scene is upstate NY, and the guy with the oranges, perhaps Spain? I think I have heard before about the garbage truck painting, probably from my dad, who is 92 and rather forgetful these days. Would love to see an image. I remember his last studio in NYC, which he gave up in the 1960's. 27 West 67th street sticks in my memory, but good be wrong. Thanks for replying, and thanks for you appreciation.
That is amazing. That is my dad Jerry at the wheel, My grandpa (we called him Pom-Pom) and that little weasel in the monkey seat is non other than me!
https://aqueduct.org/news/new-york-city-updates-high-bridge-tower-and-van-cortlandt-park That is the High Bridge Water Tower, if you get any water in NYC it comes through it.
I have a cherished copy of the Checked Flag. One of those books to pull out on a rainy day and scroll through it in awe of Peter's talent. Great thread.
Peter I sadly do not have a picture of the garbage truck. I have several prints of Helck paintings and have hung several in my shop. I have Oldfield in the Green Dragon and I took a picture of this one and then had the photo englarged. It has been hanging in my shop for years. For some reason the artwork seems to speak to me (maybe it inspires me to get some work done-LOL). I really appreciate the detail. I also like Montaut and Gamy and have several of those on the walls. Your grandfather though could really capture the essence of little details. People that visit my shop have appreciated it as well.
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