The Ateneum forecast for the autumn: sun, light and joie de vivre
In October, sunshine and the joy of life will flood the Ateneum Art Museum, as the exhibition Colour & Light – The Legacy of Impressionism opens to the public.
Impressionism is an art movement that was active in France in the 1870s, in which immediate perceptions and impressions were highlighted. At the end of the 19th century, almost all Finnish professional artists headed to Paris and, while in the art capital, they were exposed to all things new – including Impressionism. In the 19th century, however, none of the Finnish artists actively embraced this movement that brought about a radical revolution in art.
“One of the key starting points of the Colour & Light exhibition is the question of why the effects of Impressionism did not start to show in Finnish art until the first two decades of the 20th century”, say the curators of the exhibition, Marja Sakari and Anna-Maria von Bonsdorff.
The exhibition project has, from the outset, also involved Professor emeritus Anthea Callen, an expert in international Impressionism.
The Colour & Light exhibition is strongly linked to the history of the Ateneum. In 1904, an exhibition of Franco-Belgian art was held at the Ateneum, which did not attract a large audience, but which served as one of the key events that marked the beginning of a new, colourful phase in Finnish art.
“Joyful play with colour gradually found its way onto the canvases of Finnish artists. In the history of Finnish art, there is an interesting period of ten or so years, from 1906 to 1916, when almost every artist changed their palette to brighter colours. Once the shift was underway, it also led to new subject matter. Whereas earlier works had depicted hard physical toil in the countryside or the uniqueness of wild nature, now the focus was on the comforts of middle-class life. Artists were drawn to city parks and squares, crowded markets, street views, sunbathing, nudity, and glimmering seashores”, say the curators.
“In the Colour & Light exhibition, we want to bring to the fore the principles of Impressionism and its radical nature as a reformative art movement. We highlight the impact of the legacy of Impressionism on modern Colourist art in Finland in the 1910s.”
Indeed, the exhibition shows top names in international art side by side with artists from the heyday of Finnish Colourism, from 1906 to 1916.The international artists in the exhibition include Claude Monet, Auguste Renoir, Alfred Sisley, Camille Pissarro, Alfred William Finch, Paul Signac and Théo van Rysselberghe. The featured Finnish artists include Alvar Cawén, Antti Favén, Magnus Enckell, Pekka Halonen, Ellen Thesleff, Verner Thóme, Yrjö Ollila, Tyko Sallinen and Wilho Sjöström.
After a year of renovation, the Ateneum Art Museum opened on 14 April 2023 with a new collection exhibition A Question of Time. During the summer, until mid-September, the museum is also presenting an exhibition of works by Albert Edelfelt. Both exhibitions have, during spring, proven to be very popular.
Since the opening, the renewed Ateneum has already been visited by 100,000 visitors.
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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Images: press.ateneum.fi | Please note! The image bank has been updated. Please create a personal ID for the image bank.
Johanna SavolainenHead of Communications
Tel:+358 44 305 4594johanna.savolainen@ateneum.fiAnna KariCommunications Officer
Tel:+358 40 717 8185anna.kari@ateneum.fiImages




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The Ateneum Art Museum is the home of Finnish art and part of the Finnish National Gallery, together with the Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma and the Sinebrychoff Art Museum. Ateneum has the duty within the Finnish National Gallery to conserve Finnish art dating from the 18th century to modernity. This means almost 30,000 national treasures: works of art that we all own together. www.kansallisgalleria.fi
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Latest releases from Ateneumin taidemuseo / Konstmuseet Ateneum / Ateneum Art Museum
Konstmuseet Ateneum och Helsingin Sanomats barnbilaga, Lasten uutiset, samarbetar för att främja bildningen hos barn och unga20.9.2023 09:00:00 EEST | Tiedote
Programmet Mitt Ateneum ger hundra skolklasser runtom i Finland möjlighet att fördjupa sig i Nationalgalleriets samling och Konstmuseet Ateneum. Programmet, som är kostnadsfritt för deltagarna, möjliggörs genom ett samarbete mellan Helsingin Sanomats barnbilaga, Lasten uutiset, och Ateneum.
The Ateneum Art Museum and the Helsingin Sanomat newspaper’s Lasten uutiset join forces to promote children’s education20.9.2023 09:00:00 EEST | Press release
The My Ateneum programme offers 100 school classes around Finland the opportunity to explore the Finnish National Gallery collection and the Ateneum Art Museum. The programme, which is free for participants, is made possible by a collaboration between the Ateneum and Lasten uutiset, the children’s news section of the Helsingin Sanomat newspaper.
Ateneumin taidemuseo ja HS:n Lasten uutiset yhteistyöhön varhaissivistyksen edistämiseksi20.9.2023 09:00:00 EEST | Tiedote
Mun Ateneum -ohjelma tarjoaa sadalle luokalle ympäri Suomen mahdollisuuden perehtyä Kansallisgallerian kokoelmaan ja Ateneumin taidemuseoon. Osallistujille maksuttoman ohjelman mahdollistaa HS:n Lasten uutisten yhteistyö Ateneumin kanssa.
Albert Edelfelt blev Ateneums populäraste utställning någonsin18.9.2023 10:06:37 EEST | Tiedote
Albert Edelfelt-utställningen som avslutades söndagen den 17.9.2023 lockade fantastiska 351 246 besökare till Konstmuseet Ateneum. Pablo Picasso-utställningen som visades 18.9.2009–28.1.2010 och som hade 314 755 besökare har tills nu varit Ateneums mest populära utställning. Ateneum öppnade igen den 14:e april 2023 efter en ventilationsrenovering som räckte ungefär ett år.
Albert Edelfelt nousi Ateneumin kaikkien aikojen suosituimmaksi näyttelyksi18.9.2023 10:06:37 EEST | Tiedote
Sunnuntaina 17.9.2023 päättynyt Albert Edelfelt -näyttely houkutteli Ateneumin taidemuseoon mahtavat 351 246 kävijää. Tätä ennen Ateneumin suosituin näyttely oli 18.9.2009–28.1.2010 nähty Pablo Picasso -näyttely, jossa vieraili 314 755 kävijää. Ateneum avautui noin vuoden kestäneen ilmanvaihtoremontin jälkeen 14. huhtikuuta 2023.
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