Hilde’s Brief but Rosie Time in Palm Beach

The conceptual artist and social media satirist Hilde Lynn Helphenstein, aka Jerry Gogosian on Instagram, died on Sunday at the age of 40. She was found dead at the Rosewood Hotel in São Paulo, Brazil. Her death has been ruled suspicious and is currently under investigation.

Hilde had recently visited Palm Beach for the opening of Rosie Assoulin at the Royal Poinciana Plaza, where her watercolors were sold. Some say she had gone to Brazil to have cosmetic surgery, while others say she also had a love interest there. Her personal life was so full of ups and downs and ins and outs, we may never actually know what really happened, but a bright light in the art world has certainly been extinguished.

 

 

The genius behind Jerry Gogosian, whose smart and insightful satire of the art world became a must read in the industry, Hilde was a force – and a friend who will be dearly missed by those who really knew her.

Born in the U.S., she spoke English, Norwegian and Russian. A passion for art lead her to study at Valand Kunstakademiet in Gothenberg, Sweden, and then to earn a BFA at the San Francisco Art Institute. She also recently earned an MBA from NYU’s Stern School of Business in 2025 and had been signed by UTA (United Talent Agency). The future was bright for Hilde.

 

 

 

Her career in art began like most with internships and roles at various galleries. She used that experience to open HILDE, an art gallery in LA, which was co-founded with Derek Simons.  There she distinguished herself through her curatorial skills, exhibiting a mix of international and American artists. In 2018, however, she contracted Typhus Rickettsia from a tick bite which forced her to close the gallery and return home to Florida.

It was during this time she found an unexpected creative outlet in Instagram. Armed with insight and sarcasm, she started the anonymous account combining the names of the world’s most recognizable art dealer, Larry Gagosian, and Pulitzer Prize winning art critic, Jerry Saltz. She began creating memes that humorously commented on the art world in a way that so painfully accurate, it left those in the industry wondering who was behind the account. Almost overnight, it revitalized her career, transforming her from a gallery owner into an Instagram star with more than 150,000 followers.

Unable to really monetize it, however, Hilde took on other projects. one of which brought her to Palm Beach. As the studio director/manager for the artist, Steve Hash – Ally Hilfiger’s husband – she helped organize the first artist residency for him at the Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens in 2020. A rising star, himself, Hash’s ghostlike sculptures had been shown at Hilde Gallery in LA in 2018 and were acquired by Beth Rudin DeWoody who featured his work at The Bunker Artspace in West Palm Beach as well.

“Hilde remained a friend of ours for many years,” Hash said in response to Hilde’s death, adding, she “was an incredible person through and through and a true visionary in the art world. It was a pleasure to have known and worked with her over the years. We will miss her dearly. Our deepest condolences go out to her family.”

It was while she was working with Steve Hash that I first met Hilde. I had just graduated from Christie’s in New York with a Master’s Degree in Modern and Contemporary Art and the Market and was an avid follower of Jerry Gogosian. She took me under her wing –and on the subway– to Brooklyn to visit an up-and-coming artist. We stopped along the way to get a latte and pedicure and she shared insights into the exclusive world of Gagosian Gallery, Hauser & Wirth, Christie’s and Sotheby’s – while pointing out the irony of it all. We laughed the whole way home.

 

 

Then the pandemic hit and I moved to Palm Beach to be with my family. Hilde was eventually “outed” by the columnist Kenny Schachter and the future of Jerry Gogosian became as uncertain as everything else in our lives. But love sustains all and Hilde met Matthew and moved away to be with him. While she seemed over the moon at first, I’m not sure what happened, but I remember her Instagram got a bit dark and I stopped following her for a while.

The next time I saw Hilde was in March 2026 at the opening party for Rosie Assoulin hosted by Kyle deWoody.  She had broken up with Matthew, but looked beautiful and her pretty watercolors were being presented for sale. Afterwards, we all went to a Bottega Veneta event hosted by Cornelia Guest and then to dinner at the Polo Room  I was hoping this would be a wonderful new chapter for her. Little did I know it would be the last time I saw her.

 

 

After hearing the tragic news, we reached out to Kyle to inquire about her paintings and she told us, “We have decided not to sell Hilde’s paintings at the store anymore and are conferring with her mother about next steps. We’re thinking an auction or something to help raise funds to cover any funeral costs.” A tragic ending to a future as bright as the flowers she painted.

Hilde’s art interviews can still be listened to on Jerry Gogosian’s Art Smack podcast via Spotify.