let’s tango

From refugee, to lawyer, and finally to artist

by Helen Lom ’69, P’06

It has been a convoluted personal journey from the beginning to the now. That is why the selection of one of my recent artworks by the world-renowned Royal Academy of Arts in London for this year’s Summer Exhibition has been both an exciting surprise and a meaningful validation of one of my long-standing passions.

As a child, my family and I were refugees twice, from Czechoslovakia and later from Cuba. I became a U.S. citizen during my years at Swarthmore.

A white line drawing of a dog on a black background.

courtesy of lara lom

“Tango — Lost at Midnight” is an ink on paper drawing by Helen Lom ’69, P’06.

At the time, one could not major or even earn credits in the fine arts. And for a child of refugee parents, becoming an “artist” was not considered a “real” profession.

I therefore took another path.

I majored in history, went on to law school, followed by two years of research and teaching in Costa Rica and Brazil on a Ford Foundation fellowship, half a year of backpack travel throughout Latin America, and four years of international corporate practice with a Wall Street law firm, before settling in Geneva, Switzerland and specializing in international industrial property law with the World Intellectual Property Organization, a United Nations specialized agency.

“I love the essence of drawing and the power and energy that a simple line in pencil or ink can transmit.”

—Helen Lom ’69 P’06

Since my retirement, I have continued to be as busy as ever with an array of activities, traveling and volunteering for various women’s rights NGOs accredited with the United Nations. However, my passion to make art kept beckoning me. I find watercolor particularly fascinating because it takes a life of its own, never knowing where the medium will take me until it dries. But even more, I love the essence of drawing and the power and energy that a simple line in pencil or ink can transmit.

So, it is no surprise that I finally decided to submit one of my drawings for this year’s Royal Academy of Arts Summer Exhibition. It is a small, simple work in white ink on black paper, entitled “Tango — Lost at Midnight.” The subject is my daughter’s rescue dog, as I imagined him before he was saved and rehomed.

The Royal Academy of Arts is one of the most prestigious art institutions in the world. And its Summer Exhibition of contemporary art by emerging and established artists is the world’s oldest open-submission exhibition, held annually since 1769, and one of the hallmark events in the contemporary art scene. To be shortlisted was already an accomplishment. But to have my work selected by the jury and hung on the walls of the Royal Academy is a dream come true. They liked “Tango — Lost at Midnight.”

I guess, in art as in other fields, sometimes less is more. And life is an exciting, mysterious journey. You know where you started, but not where life will lead you. And there is still life after retirement!

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