Austere Beauty is the first major survey of Vanessa Helder's life and artistic career. Born in Washington State, Helder (1904?1968) began her artistic training at the University of Washington and then relocated to New York to study at the Art Students League. She then returned to Washington to work for the WPA Federal Art Project at the Spokane Art Center.

In 1943 she relocated to Los Angeles, where she became deeply involved in the local art scene and the California Watercolor Society, for the remainder of her career. Helder's exhibition history encompassed not only regional...