Happy Birthday Leos Janacek

Another birthday this week - this time the Czech composer Leos Janacek, born on 3 July 1854.

Best known for his 9 operas. He was most productive and creative in the last 15 years of his 74 year long life. Credit is often given to his muse Kamila Stösslová, a young married woman 30 years his junior.

For more information click on the title.

Happy Birthday Erik Satie!

July 1 is the birthday of French pianist and composer Erik Satie. I have just set up Satie shops at both Zazzle and at Cafepress using my new portrait of Satie.
There is a good range of giftware.
I am also working on a Satie page on my website 52composers.com with additional content.

Karl Marx in Il Manifesto

Thomas, my 8 year old grandson, spotted my portrait of Karl Marx in my daughter's copy of the Italian Comunist newspaper Il Manifesto. It appeared prominently on the back page with a credit. A thumbnail was printed on the front page.
My first appearance in an Italian newspaper.
Well spotted Thomas!

Albeniz Festival 2009

This year is the centenary of the death of Isaac Albeniz, the Spanish pianist and composer.
Though born in Catalonia his father was Basque and his mother was Andalucian.
The annual Musique en Cote Basque festival is dedicating this year's programme to Albeniz.
They are using my portrait of Albeniz on their website, posters, programmes and publicity material.
If you would like to know more about him see the page I have done on www.52composers.com

Genghis Khan on Zazzle (and more)

• On checking my website stats I noticed that there have been a lot of visitors to my Genghis Khan page. They are coming as a result of Google image search where my image appears on the first page - great. So - I have added him to the FineArtAmerica site where they do excellent prints on paper or canvas, framed or unframed.

• he is already in my cafepress shop but I will add him also to my Zazzle shop where they do some excellent giftware.

My new Licensing Agent - Lebrecht Music & Arts

I am pleased to say that I have signed a contract with the Lebrecht Music & Arts Library for them to handle the licensing of my music and literature images. Nearly all my composers have now been uploaded. There are just a few which I want to revise and polish.
I am very pleased about this as it ensures that the boring negotiating and contract side of the business will be handled professionally.
They have signed up my first order - my portrait of Albeniz which will be used for the Basque Music Festival in the south of France this summer.
This year is the centenary of his death.

To see my portfolio there click on Lebrecht.co.uk and put Paul Helm in the search box.

I joined the Tate

Yesterday was the last day of the Francis Bacon exhibition so we all decided to go to see it. With the price of individual tickets so high it makes sense to pay for an annual membership if you live in London.
Three years ago I was given a membership as a gift and I used it a lot. The last two years without it I must say I didn't go to nearly as many exhibitions. When ticket prices are £12 per visit you think twice before going and then only to those that really interest you. It's a bit like broadband v dial-up. You don't have to think of the meter ticking.
As for the Bacon exhibition, it was well worth the visit, plenty to see. It was reassuring to see that his studio was a bigger mess than mine!

To get a copy of the catalogue click the link below.
Francis Bacon