HELENE BAILLY is an art gallery in Paris that exhibits works from the abstract expressionist movement, featuring artists such as Sam Francis and Jean-Paul Riopelle.

Abstract expressionism is considered the first truly American art movement, emerging in the United States in the mid-20th century. It is typically divided into two main currents: Action Painting, which emphasizes gesture and texture, and Color Field painting, characterized by large areas of color. Action Painting, notably represented by Jackson Pollock, marks the shift of the global art center from prewar Paris to postwar New York.

As early as the 1930s, the Museum of Modern Art in New York promoted movements such as cubism and abstraction, helping pave the way for a new American abstract art scene. Abstract expressionist artists like Sam Francis and Jean-Paul Riopelle moved away from traditional figuration to explore an intense pictorial expression rooted in material, color, and gesture.