Helena Börjeson was born in Stockholm, daughter of the sculptor John Börjeson, who also taught her the art of sculpture. From 1905 to 1906 they travelled together to Italy, and in 1916 Lena Börjeson moved to Paris, where she opened a Scandinavian gallery, Maison Watteau, which quickly gained a reputation as a place of gathering and festivity, not only for the Scandinavian community, but for the entire Paris art scene.
She ran Maison Watteau from 1918 to 1935, but, after fierce conflicts, returned to Stockholm and founded a school of sculpture in 1940. In her autobiography Mitt livs lapptäcka, 1957, she describes Maison Watteau in intricate detail.