Photo: Finnish National Gallery / Hannu Aaltonen Schjerfbeck was recognised early on as a highly gifted artist – so we may well consider how this is reflected in the history of the collection.įeatured image: Helene Schjerfbeck, Self-Portrait, Black Background, 1915. One could assume that the acquisitions made for the collection reveal something essential about the expectations surrounding the artist, the artistic concepts of the day and how they changed. This article focuses on the history of the acquisitions of Schjerfbeck’s works, primarily in regard to the collection of the Finnish Art Society, which formed the basis of the Ateneum Art Museum/Finnish National Gallery collection. There was not a single public art collection in the country, the number of private art collectors could be counted on the fingers of one hand and the few exhibitions that had been held were relatively modest. Yet the situation was different when it came to art. The populace spoke Swedish, Finnish and Russian, while the intelligentsia who had travelled widely in Central Europe also spoke French fluently. When she was born in 1862, Finland was a Grand Duchy of Russia. However, Schjerfbeck’s position in the European, Nordic or even Finnish art field was not always so self-evident.
She saw what others were doing but did what she wanted to do – regardless of public response. Schjerfbeck is associated with vision, integrity and the notion of blazing one’s own trail. Today, her works arouse unreserved admiration the world over. Helene Schjerfbeck is one of the most important artists in the Ateneum Art Museum’s collection. Published in Helene Schjerfbeck, Reflections. Edited by Naoki Sato. Susanna Pettersson, PhD, Museum Director, Ateneum Art Museum, Finnish National Gallery Helene Schjerfbeck: The Brightest Pearl of the Ateneum’s Collection The seminar was in English and open for all. Ateneum Art Museum Research Conference 21 April 2015Ī professional seminar, held in the Ateneum Hall, took a deep dive into the research that is being conducted on Helene Schjerfbeck both in Finland and internationally.
0 kommentar(er)
