The press conference will be opened by the director of the Ateneum, Marja Sakari and the communication manager, Johanna Savolainen. The exhibition will be presented by its curators, Anne-Maria Pennonen, the Ateneum’s curator of exhibitions, and Hanne Selkokari, the Ateneum’s curator of collections.

The event will be in Finnish. Please register for the event by 2 May 2023.

Click this link to register.

See directions on how to get here.

You can also follow the press conference online.

To join the press conference online, click this link. You can join from 10:45, and the press conference will start at 11:00. During the event, you can ask questions using the chat function.

To join the meeting using a mobile device, you have to download the Teams application. When using a computer, you can also join just using a browser. When using a browser, we recommend using the latest version of Chrome or Edge. If you have problems joining the conference, the contact person during the event is Anna Kari, tel. +358 40 717 8185.

The exhibition presents Albert Edelfelt as an international influence

Albert Edelfelt (1854–1905) was an influential international figure who was a trailblazer and builder of connections for later Finnish artists, especially in Paris. The comprehensive exhibition will examine the entire career of one of Finland’s most famous and beloved artists. The exhibition will be on show from 5 May to 17 September 2023.

Edelfelt was socially talented, and he understood the importance of networks early on in his career. He spoke several languages and mixed easily with people from different social classes. Edelfelt travelled in Europe and the Nordic countries, and he lived much of his life in Paris.

In France, he met many of the leading artists of his time, and prominent figures in the fields of culture and science, as well as art collectors and art dealers. Edelfelt’s colleagues and friends included the American artist John Singer Sargent, the French artists Charles Baude and Pascal Dagnan-Bouveret, and the Swedish artist Anders Zorn. Edelfelt was a technically very skilled draughtsman and painter, and the most internationally known Finnish artist of his time.

The Edelfelt exhibition will present portraits of the artist’s family members, prominent figures of the time, and artist colleagues. Other exhibits will include landscapes and views from Paris, as well as depictions from Edelfelt’s travels in the south of France, Italy and Spain. He painted familiar landscapes in Porvoo, at his villa in Haikko, and in Helsinki. The exhibition will include many beloved works that are considered to be Finnish national treasures, such as Boys Playing on the Shore (1884), The Luxembourg Gardens, Paris (1887), Women of Ruokolahti on the Church Hill (1887), and Conveying the Child’s Coffin (1879).

The exhibition will also include several works that have not previously been shown in Finland. In addition to works from the Finnish National Gallery collection, the exhibits include loans from public and private collections both in Finland and abroad.

The curators of the Edelfelt exhibition are Anne-Maria Pennonen and Hanne Selkokari, curators at the Ateneum.

Read the whole press release

Advance tickets for the Ateneum from Lippu.fi

If you want to guarantee your admission to the Ateneum at a specific time, we recommend buying an advance ticket. Tickets are also sold at the door. The Lippu.fi service and booking fee will be added to the ticket price. 

Read more about advance tickets.

Opening hours
Tue–Fri 10:00–20:30 | Sat, Sun 10:00–17:00 | Mon closed

Admission fees
Normal admission fee €20 | Concessions €12 | 18–24-year-olds €12 | Under 18-year-olds free of charge

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