By Robert Tate, Award-Winning Automotive Historian and Researcher
Images Courtesy of The Peter Helck Collection
Published 3.12.2025
Peter Helck
One of the most gifted and talented automotive artists during the early days was Peter Helck (June17,1893 - April 22, 1988). He was born in New York City and studied art at the Students League in Manhattan. Later, he would start working with the talented muralist Frank Brangwyn in England.
As a child, Helck always had a great fascination with early automobiles. He enjoyed both the early cars and auto racing as well. Helck attended the 1906 Vanderbilt Cup race on Long Island as a spectator.
Peter Helck at work
At the beginning of Helck’s career, he worked for many major automotive magazines. One example was “Autocar,” a popular magazine when the automobile was becoming a new way for transportation in Americans.
During the 1930s, Helck received an assignment from the Sinclair Oil Company to create illustrations for a road map. He was later hired by Esquire magazine to create eight beautiful paintings depicting the early days of auto racing.
In 1947, Helck was elected to the National Academy of Design. He had the reputation of being one of the best artists in the United States during the early days of the automobile. His industrial work included racing cars, trucks and locomotives. He had developed a great market and career painting old cars.
In 1948, General Motors introduced its new line of Chevrolet trucks to the public. GM contracted Helck to illustrate the colorful truck illustrations for the advertising department. The newly-designed truck models for 1948 became GM sales leaders within the category.
Additionally, Helck authored two books, “Great Auto Races” and “The Checkered Flag.” In 1968, he was chosen by the Society of Illustrators as its Hall of Fame artist for his distinguished achievement in field of illustration. Helck was also recognized as a founding member of the Automotive Fine Arts Society, and was called “The dean of American Automotive Illustrators of the 20th Century.” To this day, the Society of Illustrators’ Peter Helck Award is their highest honor, given annually at the prestigious Pebble Beach Concours d’ Elegance to the talented artist whose work represents the highpoint of automotive fine art.
In 1988, Helck died at the age of 94, and the world lost a great artist and illustrator. He was known all over the world for his great works and automotive history illustrations. His automobile, Old 16, was eventually donated to the Henry Ford Museum in 1995.
Today, Helck is remembered for his great history of automotive heritage illustrations. For many years, he produced a number of illustrations that he referred to as his “fine art” works. These works included cityscapes and landscapes that many people enjoyed and admired. For many years, automotive historians have noted that Helck’s illustrations introduced considerable grace and individuality.
A 1948 Chevy Truck illustration by Peter Helck
In conclusion, I have admired Helck’s automotive artwork since I first saw his great illustrations in the 1970s when I was a teen. Helck has left behind a vast body of work that will be admired by generations for many years to come.
Bibliography
Norman Rockwell Museum. Illustration History: Peter Helck - An educational resource and archive.
Peter Helck, American Artist (1893-1988).
Vanderbilt Cup Races. “A Tribute to Peter Helck (1893-1988), the Great American Artist.” March 13, 2010.