Villa Gyllenberg's summer exhibition presents art and fashion that brims with beauty and the joy of life

Groundbreaking collaboration after browsing Instagram

Feminine forms, flowers and decorativeness, and the completely unfamiliar term robe de style. The date is the 1920s.

“What in the world, could these magnificent Rococo-inspired costumes be from the 1920s, was my first thought,” says Lotta Nylund, curator of the exhibition and Chief Curator of Villa Gyllenberg.

In June 2024, she came across a post about historical fashion on the Instagram account of Janne Helene Arnesen while looking for a fashion expert for an exhibition planned at Villa Gyllenberg. Arnesen works as a fashion history expert at the National Gallery of Norway in Oslo, and her Instagram account has over 48,000 followers.

“Janne wrote in her post that she would like to research these costumes more, so I contacted her and suggested a collaboration,” Nylund continues.

“There are very few dresses known as robe de style in Finland, but we have managed to find a few really wonderful examples for this exhibition. The dresses are spectacular festive outfits, and there will also be a wedding dress on display,” says Nylund.

Arnesen, a fashion historian working at the National Gallery of Norway, has written an article about the dresses for the exhibition publication, which is reportedly the first extensive article on the subject to be published in the Nordic countries.

Most beautiful woman in the world models for Hjalmar Hagelstam

Another scoop revealed in connection with the preparations for the exhibition is related to the Finnish artist Hjalmar Hagelstam.

“An interesting discovery emerged from Hagelstam’s works,” Nylund explains. “Hagelstam used a woman named Moumoune as the model for several of his works, and she later became world-famous under the stage name Moune de Rivel. Hagelstam had a weakness for female beauty, and in his opinion Moumoune, who performed Caribbean dance music in Parisian nightclubs, was the most beautiful woman in the world,” Nylund continues.

“Hagelstam also introduced Tove Jansson to Caribbean music and Moune de Rivel, and the star even visited Helsinki in connection with the 1952 Olympics. Moune de Rivel has not previously been linked to Hagelstam’s model.”

In post-Civil War Finland, the atmosphere was oppressive and there was a shortage of everything, but in Paris the atmosphere was freer and the culture more international. The Finnish artists presented in the exhibition spent a lot of time in France and were influenced by French post-impressionist artists such as Maurice Brianchon, Jules Cavaillès and Marie Laurencin. Finnish artists presented in the exhibition include Tove Jansson, Birger Kaipiainen and Hjalmar Hagelstam, whose impressive and colourful works have rarely been exhibited. Alongside the works of Finnish artists, works by thirteen French artists will be presented.

A longing for beauty

Many associate the art and fashion of the 1920s–1940s with minimalist forms of expression, a tomboy aesthetic and exhilarating urban life. However, in the interwar period and even during the war, beauty and the joy of life were also sought. Paradisiacal garden landscapes, historically inspired interiors and romantic costumes reveal a new side of the era. This art featured strong vibrant colours and serene depictions of everyday life, as well as garden and picnic motifs.

“In 20^th-century art history, streamlined modernism has been considered the only correct direction for the development for art, which has overshadowed artists and styles that were actually really popular in their time,” says Nylund. “In addition to paintings and dresses, the exhibition will also feature furniture.”

In furniture, the longing for beauty is reflected in decorativeness, which is evident, for example, in the intarsia furniture designed by Carl-Johan Boman. Decorativeness in fashion and interior design was a reaction against the simplistic modern style.

Paradises and gardens

The garden at Villa Gyllenberg has also been studied and restored in recent years, and it will be featured as an integral part of the exhibition. The garden was very important to the Gyllenbergs, and they invested heavily in its upkeep. The villa's courtyard was designed by the most famous Finnish garden architect of his time, Paul Olsson. A special feature of the Villa Gyllenberg garden is its English-style sunken garden. Separate guided tours of the garden are planned from June to August.

Garden motifs also emerge in several of the artworks in the exhibition. Dreams of a better world, perhaps a kind of paradise, can be seen in the paintings of Tove Jansson, Yngve Bäck and Birger Carlstedt, for example.

A publication containing new research information will be published together with Parvs Publishing Company in Finnish and Swedish in connection with the exhibition. The authors of the publication are Janne Arnesen, Julia Donner, Ville Lukkarinen, Maija Mäkikalli and Lotta Nylund.

The exhibition will feature works by the following artists and designers: Väinö Blomstedt, Carl-Johan Boman, Maurice Brianchon, Rut Bryk, Yngve Bäck, Birger Carlstedt, Jules Cavaillès, Marcus Collin, Gösta Diehl, Magnus Enckell, Arthur Fages, Hjalmar Hagelstam, Adrien Holy, Tove Jansson, Unto Kaipainen, Birger Kaipiainen, Marie Laurencin, Raymond Legueult, Jacques Lestrille, Roger Limouse, Marguerite Louppe, Armas Mikola, Roland Oudot, André Planson, Maurice-George Poncelet, Émile Sabouraud, Juho Salminen, Helene Schjerfbeck, Vilho Sjöström, Venny Soldan-Brofeldt, Paavo Tynell, Sam Vanni, Carl Wargh.

Contacts
Lotta Nylund, Chief Curator, lotta.nylund@gyllenbergs.fi, +358 40 576 1753
Siiri Oinonen, Head of Customer and Program Services, siiri.oinonen@gyllenbergs.fi, +358 40 825 4763

Opening hours from 22.4.2026 
Wed, Thu, Sat, Sun 12–17

Admission
12 €, adults
10 €, pensioners, students
0 €, under 18-y, unemployed, Museum Card holders

Tour bookings
villa@gyllenbergs.fi

Address
Kuusisaarenpolku 11
00340 Helsinki