HELSINKI.- Ateneum Art Museum presents Albert Edelfelt (1854-1905), a comprehensive examination of the career of one of Finland’s most famous, beloved and internationally recognised artists. A key Finnish artist working during the modern period, the exhibition highlights the artistic influence of Edelfelt’s time spent travelling through Europe and living in Paris, and how this inspired and paved the way for later generations of artists from his home country.

A technically skilled draughtsman and painter, known for his naturalistic style and Realist approach, the exhibition charts Edelfelt’s artistic development in parallel with his travels and influences. After moving to Paris in 1874 and becoming immersed in the French art scene, Edelfelt began to adopt many of the principles of Impressionism, including en plein air paintings of outdoor Parisian life. He introduced these styles and methods to Finland, and became a leading figure in connecting his home country to the emergence of modern art movements in mainland Europe.

The exhibition also reflects on Edelfelt’s status as a polyglot who mixed easily with people of different social classes, meeting several leading luminaries in the fields of art, culture and science on his travels. These included leading artists, collectors and art dealers, who influenced his work and were often the subject of Edelfelt’s paintings alongside portraits of family members. Friends and colleagues included the American artist John Singer Sargent, the French artists Charles Baude and Pascal Dagnan-Bouveret, the Swedish artist Anders Zorn, and the French chemist Louis Pasteur.

Other works on display will include landscapes and views from Paris, as well as depictions from Edelfelt’s travels in the south of France, Italy and Spain. He painted familiar landscapes in Porvoo, at his villa in Haikko, and in Helsinki. The exhibition will include many works that are considered to be Finnish national treasures, such as Boys Playing on the Shore (1884), The Luxembourg Gardens, Paris (1887), Women of Ruokolahti on the Church Hill (1887), and Conveying the Child's Coffin (1879). Comprising works from the Finnish National Gallery alongside loans from public and private collections both in Finland and abroad, several works on display have not previously been shown in Finland.

Curated by Anne-Maria Pennonen and Hanne Selkokari, this exhibition is an expanded iteration of the Albert Edelfelt retrospective previously displayed at the Petit Palais, Paris and Gothenburg Museum of Art. These two highly successful showings have contributed new research and information for this exhibition at Ateneum, with a new accompanying catalogue providing completely new perspectives on the artist’s life.

Albert Edelfelt is the first temporary exhibition to open at Ateneum since the museum reopened in April 2023 following an extensive rehang of its permanent collection.