Greta Hällfors-Sipilä’s and Sulho Sipilä’s shared art and life displayed at HAM

Greta and Sulho, whose nicknames were Tiva and Halle, studied at the Finnish Art Society’s Drawing School in the 1910s. The lively pair became an inseparable couple. The early modernism of both artists is related to the new art trends of their time, especially the Russian avant-garde. A number of works from the early years of their careers have been preserved, in which they boldly try out colours and new forms.

In the 1920s and 1930s, Sulho Sipilä and Greta Hällfors-Sipilä focused on things close at hand, what they saw and experienced in both their daily lives and celebrations. In their works, both artists depicted each other, their home or the surrounding city and its amusements. The exhibition has a special focus on captivating street views from Helsinki, not forgetting the city’s busy social life. The couple also painted a number of works depicting their summers in the archipelago in Uusimaa and in the countryside in Southwest Finland. Boats, bathing huts and beach life recur especially in Greta’s paintings and sketchbooks. The sea was also important to Sulho, who even made another career for himself as a naval officer.

“Greta and Sulho’s shared life and art is a fascinating topic that raises many questions. The works convey the joy of life and, at the same time, loneliness and melancholy. And why did Greta’s career as an artist not really take off during her lifetime, like Sulho’s did?” – Exhibition Curator Riitta Ojanperä

In addition to visual arts, music and playing instruments were important to both artists and remained a part of their shared life through the decades. Greta was almost a concert pianist, and the Sipiläs also organised small home concerts for their family and friends.

The exhibition has been curated by Riitta Ojanperä, PhD, who has also written the book Greta Hällfors-Sipilä and Sulho Sipilä, which will be published in connection with the exhibition. Produced by HAM, the book is based on the works of Greta Hällfors-Sipilä and Sulho Sipilä that are part of the City of Helsinki’s collections. Pictures of these works have been complemented with photographs and pictures from the collections of museums that have borrowed works for the exhibition and from private collections.

HAM will be starting its traditional audience work following the opening of the exhibition. First to begin will be the open guided tours on Saturdays in Finnish, Swedish and English, available to all museum visitors free of charge. On the first Sunday of the exhibition, we will be hearing from exhibition curator Riitta Ojanperä, launching HAM’s Expert Sundays series. In the spring, HAM and local music institute Länsi-Helsingin musiikkiopisto will be producing a series of mini concerts inspired by the themes of the exhibition.

Greta Hällfors-Sipilä & Sulho Sipilä / HAM Helsinki Art Museum 19 November 2021–14 August 2022

Media images:
www.hamhelsinki.fi/info/medialle (password: hammedia)

HAM Helsinki Art Museum
Tennis Palace, Eteläinen Rautatiekatu 8
00100 Helsinki
Open: Tue 10:00–17:30, Wed–Sun 11:30–19:00, Mon closed
Tickets: €12/10, free admission for visitors under 18 years of age