A new book on Hugo Simberg in the Artists of the Ateneum book series

"The Artists of the Ateneum book series tells the stories of classic Finnish artists: what kind of world they grew up in, what inspired them, and what kinds of works they made and why. The authors include some of the best experts in the field, and, in inviting their contributions, we are also supporting new research", says the museum director, Susanna Pettersson.
The author of the book, the art historian Marja Lahelma, guides her readers on a journey through Hugo Simberg's life and work, and contributes new information to the body of research on the artist, for example, by linking Simberg's art to the history of European art.
Hugo Simberg is one of the key artists of Finnish symbolism. His works feature a gallery of fantasy characters, including angels, devils and Death, depicted in an inimitable fashion. In addition to fantasy subjects, Simberg's wide-ranging oeuvre includes portraits and landscapes, which also feature, as an undertone, the artist's quest to uncover another world beyond reality. The Ateneum Art Museum, which is part of the Finnish National Gallery, holds more than 800 works by Hugo Simberg, the most well-known of which are Frost (1895), The Wounded Angel (1903) and Towards the Evening (1913).
The Artists of the Ateneum series sheds new light on some of the classics of Finnish art. The history of 19th-century Finnish art includes emotionally evocative landscapes, powerful folklife depictions, historical paintings and portraits. Imagery from the Kalevala, the Finnish national epic, also features prominently. At the turn of the 20th century, the focus shifts to Paris and new forms of expression. Art knows no geographical boundaries. The decades roll on, and new movements bring energy and vision into art, from modernism to political or pop art.
The first book in the series, about Helene Schjerfbeck, was published in September 2016. The next book, about Akseli Gallen-Kallela, will be published in the autumn of 2018. A new book in the series will be published each year. The graphic design of the book series is by Minna Luoma.
The book will be available from 23 August 2017 from the museum shop at the Ateneum or the online shop at www.museoshop.fi. The normal price for the book will be €29. Both of the previously published books in the Artists of the Ateneum series will, from 23 August to 24 September 2017, be on sale for €25.
Size: 235 mm x 160 mm, 100 pages, paperback. Publisher: Finnish National Gallery / Ateneum Art Museum, Helsinki
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Contacts
Anna Kari, Communications Officer, tel. +358 40 717 8185, anna.kari at ateneum.fi
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Ateneum’s main corporate partners are Helsingin Sanomat, HOK-Elanto and KPMG. The Ateneum is sponsored by Veikkaus.
Ateneum Art Museum is Finland’s leading art museum, which houses Finnish art from the 19th century to the modern age. Ateneum is part of the Finnish National Gallery, together with the Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma and Sinebrychoff Art Museum. www.kansallisgalleria.fi/en
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Latest releases from Ateneumin taidemuseo / Konstmuseet Ateneum / Ateneum Art Museum
En testamentsdonation sätter fart på konserveringen av Akseli Gallen-Kallelas freskskisser15.5.2025 10:50:44 EEST | Pressmeddelande
Konstmuseet Ateneum som är en del av Finlands Nationalgalleri har fått en betydande testamentsdonation på 700 000 euro av en finsk privatperson. Enligt donatorns önskan ska 150 000 euro av de donerade medlen användas för Nationalgalleriets konserveringsenhets behov och anskaffningar. Donatorn har önskat förbli anonym. Tack vare donationen kan vi tidigarelägga ett länge planerat projekt: att konservera Akseli Gallen-Kallelas freskskisser med Kalevala-motiv som ingår i Nationalgalleriets samlingar. Gallen-Kallela utförde skisserna för freskerna i takkupolen på Finlands paviljong vid världsutställningen i Paris år 1900. Av dessa kommer Hedendom och kristendom (1899) att visas på Ateneum på utställningen Gallen-Kallela, Klimt & Wien, som är öppen 26.9.2025–1.2.2026.
Testamenttilahjoitus vauhdittaa Akseli Gallen-Kallelan freskoluonnosten konservointia15.5.2025 10:50:44 EEST | Tiedote
Kansallisgalleriaan kuuluva Ateneumin taidemuseo on saanut merkittävän, noin 700 000 euron testamenttilahjoituksen suomalaiselta yksityishenkilöltä. Lahjoittajan toiveen mukaisesti lahjoitusvaroista 150 000 euroa käytetään Kansallisgallerian konservointiyksikön tarpeisiin ja hankintoihin. Lahjoittaja on toivonut, ettei hänen nimeään kerrota julkisuuteen. Lahjoituksen ansiosta voidaan toteuttaa pitkään suunniteltu hanke aiottua aikaisemmin: konservoida Kansallisgallerian kokoelmaan kuuluvat Akseli Gallen-Kallelan Kalevala-aiheiset luonnokset vuoden 1900 Pariisin maailmannäyttelyn Suomen paviljongin kattokupolin freskoihin. Näistä Pakanuus ja kristinusko (1899) saadaan esille Ateneumissa 26.9.2025–1.2.2026 esillä olevaan Gallen-Kallela, Klimt & Wien -näyttelyyn.
A bequest to expedite the conservation of Akseli Gallen-Kallela’s fresco sketches15.5.2025 10:50:44 EEST | Press release
The Ateneum Art Museum, which is part of the Finnish National Gallery, has received a significant bequest of approximately 700,000 euros from a Finnish private individual. As requested by the donor, 150,000 euros of the bequeathed funds will be used for the needs and acquisitions of the Finnish National Gallery’s conservation unit. The donor’s wish is that their name is not published. Thanks to the bequest, a long-planned project can be realised earlier than expected: the conservation of the Kalevala-themed sketches by Akseli Gallen-Kallela, held in the collection of the Finnish National Gallery, for the cupola frescoes of the Finnish pavilion at the 1900 Paris Exposition. Of these, Heathendom and Christendom (1899) will be on display at the Ateneum from 26 September 2025 to 1 February 2026 as part of the exhibition Gallen-Kallela, Klimt & Wien.
Utställningen Gallen-Kallela, Klimt & Wien hämtar Wiens puls till Ateneum7.5.2025 14:00:00 EEST | Pressmeddelande
Utställningen som öppnar i slutet av september skildrar hur Akseli Gallen-Kallelas konst utvecklades i interaktion med internationella modernister som Gustav Klimt och Koloman Moser. Secessionsrörelsen som under Klimts ledning grundades för att förnya konsten förenades av ett intresse för att utveckla en ny identitet och för en modern livsstil samt för stora, offentliga konstverk. Utställningen hämtar för första gången målningar av Gustav Klimt till Finland. Utom bildkonst ses på utställningen också fotografier samt formgivning, bland annat vardagliga föremål, smycken och mode. Utställningen visas på Ateneum 26.9.2025–1.2.2026.
Gallen-Kallela, Klimt & Wien -näyttely tuo Ateneumiin Wienin sykkeen7.5.2025 14:00:00 EEST | Tiedote
Syyskuun lopussa avautuva näyttely kertoo, miten Akseli Gallen-Kallelan taide kehittyi vuorovaikutuksessa kansainvälisten modernistien, kuten Gustav Klimtin ja Koloman Moserin kanssa. Klimtin johdolla perustettua, taidetta uudistanutta sesessio-liikettä yhdisti kiinnostus uuden identiteetin kehittämiseen ja moderniin elämäntapaan sekä suuriin julkisiin taideteoksiin. Näyttely tuo ensimmäistä kertaa Gustav Klimtin maalauksia Suomeen. Kuvataiteen lisäksi näyttelyssä nähdään myös valokuvia sekä muotoilua, kuten arjen esineitä, koruja ja muotia. Näyttely on esillä Ateneumissa 26.9.2025–1.2.2026.
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