Magnus Enckell exhibition at the Ateneum – 150 years since the versatile artist’s birth

Normal opening hours will be resumed at the Ateneum as of 4 August 2020. Detailed information on the opening hours can be found at the end of this press release. Changes to the exhibition schedule and related events are possible.

Magnus Enckell is one of the key artists of the golden age of Finnish art in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and yet only some of his work is known. The Ateneum exhibition offers a diverse overview of Enckell’s entire oeuvre from five different decades.

Enckell is known especially as a representative and leading figure of Finnish symbolism. The exhibition and the book to be published in conjunction with it shed light on the artist’s many facets. Enckell, on the one hand, promoted radical reforms in art, but, on the other, relied on the traditions of culture and education. He was a dreamer, but also an international man of the world, a curator of exhibitions, the chairman of the Artists’ Association of Finland, and a creator of monumental works. Music, theatre, and literature were all important to this diversely educated artist.

In the early 20th century, Magnus Enckell’s 1890s subdued palette and emphasis on drawing began to shift in a more painterly direction, towards colour- and light-filled neo-impressionism. Enckell’s best known works include Boy with Skull (1893), The Awakening (1894) and Awakening Faun (1914), which are part of the Ateneum collection.

The exhibition presents many previously unknown works, sketchbooks, pieces from Enckell’s extensive body of drawings, and photographs from his own archive. The exhibition presents Enckell’s work, from the early pieces he created when studying at a drawing school to the mythological works of the 1920s. The artist’s oeuvre is extensive, covering portraits, landscapes, fantasies, religious topics, still lifes, and studies of people. He also created numerous monumental paintings in public spaces, including Tampere Cathedral and the Central Pori Church.

The exhibition curators are the director of the Ateneum, Marja Sakari; the director of collections management at the Finnish National Gallery, Riitta Ojanperä; and the chief curator of exhibitions at the Ateneum, Anna-Maria von Bonsdorff. The exhibited works come from holdings across Finland, including Amos Rex’s Sigurd Frosterus Collection, Tampere Art Museum, Turku Art Museum, the Serlachius Museums, and private collections.

The exhibition is complemented by the publication of a richly illustrated exhibition catalogue with articles by experts, offering an overall picture of this artist from the golden age of Finnish art. The exhibition catalogue is published in Finnish, Swedish and English, and it is be edited by Hanne Selkokari and Lene Wahlsten. The publication includes articles written byAnna-Maria von Bonsdorff, Jukka Cadogan, Timo Huusko, Harri Kalha, Marja Lahelma, Riitta Ojanperä, Anne-Maria Pennonen, Marja Sakari, Hanna-Reetta Schreck, Hanne Selkokari, Riikka Stewen, Juha-Heikki Tihinen, and Anu Utriainen. 

Highlights of events related to the exhibition in autumn 2020

Check out all the events at the event calendar

4 Nov 2020–16 Jan 2021
Workshops: Get inspired by Magnus Enckell’s techniques
In this series of workshops, we draw inspiration from the wide range of techniques used by Enckell. The price of one workshop is €39/29. More information at our website

Sat 14 Nov 2020 14:15–16:00 Ateneum Theme discussion: Magnus Enckell 150 years
How did Magnus Enckell become Enckell? This panel discussion with experts is moderated by one of the curators of the exhibition and chief curator at the Ateneum, Anna-Maria von Bonsdorff, PhD. The panellists are the art historians Juha-Heikki Tihinen, Marja Lahelma and Riikka Stewen. In Finnish. Admission is included in the entrance fee.

Thu 26 Nov 2020 18:00 Curator’s lecture on Magnus Enckell: Riitta Ojanperä
The topic of the lecture is Resurrection and other monumental works. The lecturer is one of the curators of the exhibition and the director of collections management at the Finnish National Gallery, Riitta Ojanperä, PhD. In Finnish. Admission is included in the entrance fee.

Wed 2 Dec 2020 18:00–19:30 Guest lecture: On the ethics of art
The Music and philosophy lecture/concert series, run by the Sibelius Academy, University of the Arts Helsinki, visits the Ateneum. The topic of the lecture is On the ethics of art. The lecturer is Hemmo Laiho, PhD, University of Turku. Music will be performed by Doctor of Music Annikka Konttori-Gustafsson, Sibelius Academy (piano). In Finnish. Admission is included in the entrance fee.

Opening hours

Revised opening hours from 2 June to 2 August 2020: Tue–Sun 11:00–18:00 | Mon closed
Normal opening hours from 4 Aug 2020: Tue, Fri 10–18 | Wed, Thu 10–20 | Sat, Sun 10–17 | Mon closed

Admission

Adults €17 | Concessions €15 | Under 18s free admission

Twitter: @AteneumMuseum | Facebook: AteneumArtMuseum | Instagram: ateneummuseum