Influential Art Satirist Jerry Gogosian Dies at 40 in São Paulo

Hilde Lynn Helphenstein was found dead Sunday in her room at the Rosewood São Paulo hotel. Her plastic surgeon discovered the body after she failed to answer her phone. An empty vodka bottle, a broken glass on the floor, and unidentified pills were found nearby.

Helphenstein, 40, had been in São Paulo for three weeks recovering from a cosmetic procedure. Her surgeon told authorities he had previously taken her to a hospital after a possible overdose and claimed she was using substances. Police registered the case as a “suspicious death,” while an official cause of death has yet to be released.

A hotel spokesperson said the hotel had provided full collaboration with authorities and would not comment further out of respect for the privacy of the guest, family members, and the work of investigators. Helphenstein was from Oakland, California, and was known online as Jerry Gogosian. She built the character as a satire of the excesses and commercialization of the contemporary art world.

She had at least 150,000 followers on Instagram. A graduate of the San Francisco Art Institute, she hosted the podcast “Art Smack” and served as editor-in-chief of “The Jerry Report” bulletin. Helphenstein collaborated with Phillips, Playboy, and Sotheby’s.

Her final Instagram posts, shared hours before her death, featured light-hearted advice and excitement about her time in Brazil.