Helsinki, Finland’s Ateneum Art Museum has created a new permanent exhibition, A Question of Time, which opened on April 14, 2023. Particularly noteworthy are the exhibition’s four themes: Art and Power, Images of a People, The Age of Nature and Modern Life. Inspired by modern questions, each topic explores themes of women’s equality, cultural identity, immigration concerns, and the consequences of war.
Ateneum’s History
Inaugurated in 1887, the Ateneum Art Museum is Finland’s oldest art museum. The Ateneum is located inside the Finnish National Gallery, which is the largest art museum institution in the country. The National Gallery comprises the Ateneum, Kiasma, and the Sinebrychoff Art Museum. Designed by Theodor Hӧijer, (also known for the stylish Hotel Kamp), the Neo-Renaissance-style Ateneum boasts anexquisite gilt yellow and white façade. It features the busts of Bramante, Phidias and Raphael, as well as caryatids by C.E. Sjӧstrand. Named after the goddess Athena, the Ateneum stands just opposite The Helsinki Central Railway Station and alongside another Saarinen jewel, the Scandic Grand Central Hotel.
The Ateneum once housed the Finnish Academy of Fine Arts and the University of Art and Design Helsinki. It re-established itself solely as a museum in 1991. In the Spring of 2023, the Ateneum reopened after year-long renovation to improve the ventilation system and allow more visitors. The reopening transformed the long tradition of the venerable museum to exhibit its works of art in chronological order. This was met with mixed reactions from locals. For some art lovers, including myself, it’s a necessary and refreshing change.
A Question of Time: The Age of Nature
These works of art expose us to pastoral forests, farms, and other environs threatened by climate change. In the accompanying catalog, curator Anne-Marie Pennonen asks: “How do you look at art in a time when nature is under threat from human action?” Take a look at Toni R. Toivonen’s Giving Birth and Dying Still (2016), an abstract piece on a brass plate, created from biomaterials of a deceased mother cow and her calf.
Toivonen’s piece takes you by surprise compared to the romantic impressions of agricultural life by the von Wright brothers. Ferdinand von Wright’s Pigs and Magpies (1875) depicts the now-extinct Landrace pig, unusual because of its smaller size and fuzzy hair. Elder sibling Magnus von Wright is also on display with his scientific illustration, Young European Herring Gull (1836), which remains uncompleted. Perhaps an oversight, the incompleteness of the drawing may help answer the question, “Are we part of a delicate fabric of species, upon which our own lives rest?”
A Question of Time: Images of a People
Over the years, Sweden and Russia have historically challenged Finnish national identity. For this section of the exhibition, Curator Timo Huusko examined the role of art in the Finnish national identity. The evocative landscape paintings invite you to explore the seasons which transform Finland’s many lakes and dense forests, and contribute to the national character of strength and resilience. For Finnish author, poet and historian Zachris Topelius, nature’s expression, whether a humble cabin, or a seaside mansion, is sacred to Finnish national identity.
Finland’s vast terrain is reflected in varying scales and picturesque viewpoints. Anton Lindforss’ Summer Landscape from Liinakhamari (1934) captivates with bright hues reflecting the sun and the light. Ferdinand von Wright’s View from Haminalahti (1853) invites the viewer to explore the unoccupied environs, but for a few grazing birds.
Author and artist Tove Jansson (known for her beloved Moomin books) represents Finland’s Swedish-speaking minority, and was considered controversial because she engaged in same-sex relationships, which was then considered a crime. Her painting, Self-Portrait (1942) exudes independence, self-reliance, and a bit of defiance, as she confronts the viewer, hands on hips.
In an adjacent gallery, there are contrasting portraits between the Haves and Have Nots, with members of high society juxtaposed alongside those of the lower classes. Two extremely disparate portrayals of childhood in Finland include Helene Schjerfbeck’s Toipilas (The Convalescent, 1888) and Akseli Gallen-Kallela’s Eksynyt (Lost, 1886).
Schjerfbeck portrays a frail child in an oversized chair occupied with a flower stalk, while Gallen-Kallela’s young woman, bereft and barefoot, shirt fallen off one shoulder, sits on the ground against a tree.
A Question of Time: Modern Life
The 20 th century is commonly known as the age of Modernism, birthing the stylistic movements, like abstract and avant garde. This section of the permanent exhibition refers to the Winter War of 1939-40 and Finland’s transition from an agricultural country into a largely industrial one. The works explore themes ranging from societal progress to anxiety, utopias and dystopias, urban life, and alienation. The canvases jump from colorful and playful, like in Paul Osipow’s painting Crunch (1965-66) to the inhospitable and industrious, like in Marcus Collin’s painting, Homeward-Bound Factory
Workers (1917).
Elga Sesemann’s Street (1945) focuses on a sole figure in transit within an urban landscape, denoting feelings of alienation and outsiderness. In a similar vein, feelings of anxiety about modern life are depicted in Ulla Rantanen’s paintings Inside (1968) and Street Scene (1969).
Ismo Kajander’s Sunflowers (2008) is an amusing still life featuring long handle brushes, perhaps a critique on utilitarianism. Meri Genetz offers an interesting contrast with her still life painting, Sun Flowers and a Wooden Sculpture (1885-1943).
Meri Genetz, Sun Flowers and a Wooden Sculpture (1885-1943). Photo: Finnish National Gallery / Eweis
Yngve Bäck’s Melody of War (1944) is a powerful and timely statement about peace, dominated by abstract forms and vivid color fields with cubist references (not a popular movement in Finland at the time). An adjacent wall features paintings by diverse artists, of fair-haired children at leisure and at play. Perhaps a reference to halcyon days of Finland’s past?
A Question of Time: Art and Power
Art and Power focuses on collectors, donations, and acquisitions in the history of the Ateneum Art Museum. This exhibition explains the genesis of the collection, as well as the provenance of its artworks. It explores the relationship between the art institution and the impassioned collectors, who filled their homes with great art, which they would later donate to the museum.
Herman Frithiof Antell (1847-1893), was a professional art collector who lived most of his life in Paris. Although he supported Finnish artists working in the French capital, he also acquired sculptures by Auguste Rodin. Antell’s personal collection of erotic art includes Akseli Gallen-Kallela’s bold Démasquée, Richard Hall’s playful Odalisque (1883), and Anders Zorn’s Girls Bathing in the Open Air (1890). Noteworthy are the many commissioned portraits of the collectors, and Gallen Kallela’s canvas of Antell features his subject in his book-lined study, at a compact desk with newspapers and fine books, sitting in contemplation, reflected in natural light.
Anders Zorn, Girls Bathing in the Open Air (1890). Photo: Finnish National Gallery / Aaltonen
Other collectors include Herman (1825-1894) and Elisabeth Hallonblad (1831-1907). The Hallonblads championed Finnish culture and commissioned several artists to create self-portraits, among them Ellen Thesleff, Hugo Simberg, Tyko Sallinen, and Helene Schjerfbeck. I was especially taken by Schjerfbeck’s poignant Self-Portrait, Black Background (1915), where she stares into the distance, in radiant reflection. It was the first painting by a woman artist to be commissioned by the Finnish Art Society. The reclusive modernist has earned an international reputation for her emotionally powerful oeuvre.
Helene Schjerfbeck, Self-Portrait, Black Background (1915). Photo: Finnish National Gallery / Aaltonen
Swedish art collectors Nils August Keirkner (1856-1918), together with his wife Lydia Bremer (1861-1945), commissioned several portraits of themselves by the best artists of their day: first from Albert Edelfelt and Albert Gebhard, and later from Vilho Sjӧstrӧm and Magnus Enckell. Lydia bequeathed the collection to the Ateneum in 1945.
The curators hope that the rehang of old favorites will attract a younger audience who are concerned with national identity, climate change and other current issues. They aspire to provide the older audience with a new perspective for enjoying their favorite classics as well as to reflect on the issues relevant to our times. This exhibit arouses topical questions, create dialogues between generations, stimulates and surprises.
Fine Dining in the Finnish Capital
Kuurna
This romantic bistro in the elegant Kruununhaka quarter is five minutes up the road from the harbor and Presidential Palace. There are two and three-course menus, with an excellent wine list. The menu changes every three weeks according to season and there are also daily specials. Regulars come for the classic pepper steak or poached pike perch. Save room for the cheese assortment. All products are sourced from local small-scale producers, which chef/proprietor Laura Styyra curates with pride.
Alexanderplats
This chic gastropub is located along the charming, tree-lined promenade Eteläesplanadi, populated with designer shops and buzzing outdoor cafes. It’s the latest project of top chef Alexander Gullichsen. Whether you go for lunch or dinner, you will have a fine dining experience. The fish of the day is well-worth trying, as is the game in season. Chateaubriand is a specialty, though vegetarians might choose the risotto, often mushroom or fresh green pea, a local delicacy. Save room for the pancakes with mixed berries and cream.
Sekel
Michelin chef Filip Langhoff has cooked in top restaurants across Europe over the past decades. In 2022, he launched Sekel (Finnish for Century) with his wife Linda, the sommelier and designer. They aim to capture the food, drink, and ambience of Helsinki from the Fin de siècle to Roaring Twenties. After extensive research into culinary archives, recipes have been collected from exclusive hotel kitchens. The menu consists of unexpected classics like Elk Rossini, Beetroot Wellington, Norwegian Cod, and a timeless roast chicken (coquelet). Langhoff takes pride in using sustainable and organic produce with fish, meat and game from well-sourced suppliers.
Elm
This all-day eatery is situated in a beautifully renovated 1860s wooden villa at the edge of Kaivopuisto Park. The villa’s charming terrace is a highlight, and there are often unique art exhibitions and installations on the upper floors. It attracts a crowd of laidback locals who return for fresh, sustainable Portuguese and Catalonian cuisine. The proprietors also run the popular Nolla and Nolita establishments.
Ateneum Bistro
This charming “café-teria” is an oasis for museumgoers wanting to lunch or have coffee before or after visiting the exhibitions. There is a salad and soup bar, as well as a variety of sandwiches, quiche, and delightful desserts. Reasonable prices are a bonus.
Cover Photo: Finnish National Gallery / Aleks Talve
(Written November 2023)
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