The exhibitions at the Ateneum in 2026 are Eero Nelimarkka, Arcana Borealis and Elga Sesemann

An exhibition of Eero Nelimarkka’s entire career takes a fresh look at the artist 

Eero Nelimarkka, 13 Mar–13 Sep 2026 

An exhibition covering the entire career of Eero Nelimarkka (1891–1977) takes a fresh look at the versatile artist and sheds light on his view of the world. The artist’s fascinating life story traces his journey from being the son of a washerwoman in Vaasa to one of Finland’s most popular artists. 

Eero Nelimarkka is known as a painter of the landscapes of South Ostrobothnia, but he was also particularly skilled in portraying people. Nelimarkka’s work includes a large number of diverse characterful portraits, as well as many self-portraits. 

There is an ambiguous strangeness in the artist’s interesting compositions, which feature characteristics of magical realism. The subjects of the paintings are quite simple – a pair of shoes left on the floor, or a pile of hats – but there is a sense that the compositions include many meanings. There is something inexplicable in the works, the presence of which the viewer can only sense. 

This will be the first exhibition of Nelimarkka’s work to be staged at the Ateneum that comprehensively presents the artist’s career. In addition to the paintings, the exhibition features a small number of drawings and photographs of Nelimarkka’s life. In addition to works from the Finnish National Gallery collection, the exhibits include extensive loans from museums and private collections across Finland. 

Nelimarkka’s marriage to Saima Alaviitala from Alahärmä in 1918 gave him access to a prosperous farming community in South Ostrobothnia. From 1933, Nelimarkka lived in the Lallukka Artists’ Home in Helsinki. In 1964, the artist himself founded the Nelimarkka Museum in Alajärvi, designed by the architect Hilding Ekelund. Today, the museum operates as a regional art museum for South Ostrobothnia. 

The curator of the exhibition is the director of collections management at the Finnish National Gallery, Riitta Ojanperä. The exhibition will be complemented by the publication of an extensive exhibition catalogue in Finnish, Swedish and English, edited by the chief curator at the Ateneum, Marja Lahelma. The publication of the exhibition catalogue is supported by the Nelimarkka Foundation. The Nelimarkka Museum, the South Ostrobothnia Art Museum, is a partner of the exhibition. 

The exhibition Arcana Borealis shows how Northern women artists have combined art and alternative spiritual currents 

Arcana Borealis – Northern Women and Esotericism, 23 Oct 2026–28 Feb 2027 

The exhibition shows how Northern women artists have, since the late 19th century, combined art and alternative spiritual currents. It also highlights the forgotten networks between artists and the importance of cooperation both in the Nordic countries and internationally. 

The exhibition explores how women have used art to explore and reach beyond everyday experiences and to connect with the universe. Esotericism often refers to secret spiritual knowledge. The key themes of the exhibition include the relationship between people and the universe and nature, the connection between spirit and matter, and the question of life after death. 

The featured artists, from a period of more than a hundred years, include both big names in art and ones new to the general public, such as Anna-Eva Bergman, Sonja Ferlov Mancoba, Maja Fjaestad, Hilma af Klint, Iria Leino, Outi Pieski, Laila Pullinen, Elga Sesemann and Ellen Thesleff. The diversity of media used in the featured works blurs the boundaries between, for example, art and craft.

The exhibition is based on a multi-year international research project Northern Women, Art and Esotericism, carried out by the postdoctoral researcher Nina Kokkinen (the Donner Institute); the chief curator at the Ateneum, Marja Lahelma; and the chief curator at the Ateneum, Anu Utriainen; together with the director of the Ateneum, Anna-Maria von Bonsdorff. The Arcana Borealis exhibition is curated by Nina Kokkinen and Marja Lahelma. 

Elga Sesemann to open the Ateneum’s new Modern Classics series of exhibitions 

Modern Classics: Elga Sesemann, 18 Aug 2026–31 Aug 2027 

The new Modern Classics series of exhibitions presents 20th-century artists from the Finnish National Gallery collections. The collection for which the Ateneum is responsible contains a wide range of modern art, which will get more visibility with the exhibition series. The exhibitions to be staged on the first floor are mainly put together from works in the Finnish National Gallery’s own collection. The first artist to be featured in the series is Elga Sesemann. The works currently being displayed in the exhibition galleries are part of the collection exhibition A Question of Time under its theme Art and Power, and they will be on display until Sunday 3 May, 2026. 

Elga Sesemann’s (1922–2007) life story is an exceptional and interesting example of a professional woman artist making a career for herself in Finland. The artist’s very first solo exhibition in Helsinki, in 1945, already drew the attention of critics and the art audience to her expressive style. Sesemann’s artistic oeuvre is extensive, and she enjoyed an active career, with her expression constantly evolving, until the mid-1990s. 

Although Sesemann participated in almost one hundred exhibitions during her life, it is only in recent years that her work has seen a resurgence in art research and exhibitions. Works that were once considered startlingly modernist have found favour with today’s audiences, and they deserve to be seen and incorporated into modern-era Finnish art history. In the 2000s, among Finnish art museums, the Ateneum and Tampere Art Museum, in particular, have showcased Sesemann’s works in their exhibitions. 

The exhibition of Elga Sesemann’s work is the first research-based artist monograph to be shown in Finland. The exhibition is curated by the chief curator at the Ateneum, Anu Utriainen. 

The Ateneum is preparing an exhibition of Elin Danielson-Gambogi’s entire career for 2027

A name we can now announce from our 2027 programme is Elin Danielson-Gambogi, whose retrospective exhibition will be shown on the third floor of the Ateneum in the summer season 2027. 

Ateneum Art Museum

Opening hours:
Mon closed | Tue 10–18 | Wed–Thu 10–20 | Fri 10–18 | Sat–Sun 10–17 
From 1 July to 31 August 2026, the Ateneum will also be open on Mondays, from 11:00 to 17:00. 

Admission fees from 1 January 2026:
Standard ticket at the ticket office €23 | Standard ticket online €21 | Concession ticket €13 | 18–24-year-olds €13 | Under 18-year-olds free of charge | Free admission with a Museum Card