HELSINKI.- By 10 December, the Ateneum Art Museum has attracted 501,036 visitors. This is an exceptional achievement, considering that the Ateneum did not open until mid-April this year, following a ventilation renovation.

During 2023, the Ateneum Art Museum has so far attracted 501,036 visitors. The magic milestone of 500,000 visitors was reached on the 10 December.

The number of visitors for the year will clearly exceed the previous visitor record for the Ateneum, set in 2017, when the museum’s main attraction were the exhibitions Treasures from the National Gallery of Duckburg and The von Wright brothers. The total number of visitors for that year was 440,828. Reaching the milestone of half a million visitors in a year is exceptional, considering that, in 2023, the Ateneum did not open until mid-April, having been closed for approximately one year due to a ventilation renovation.

This year, four new exhibitions have opened at the Ateneum:

• The new collection exhibition A Question of Time opened on 14 April 2023. The permanent exhibition explores today’s big questions through its four themes: The Age of Nature, Images of a People, Modern Life, and Art and Power.

• From 5 May to 17 September 2023, the Ateneum ran an exhibition of works by Albert Edelfelt, which examined the entire career of one of the most famous and beloved artists in Finland. Attracting 351,246 visitors, it became the most popular exhibition of all time at the Ateneum.

• From 20 October 2023 to 25 February 2024, the Ateneum is running the exhibition Colour & Light – The Legacy of Impressionism, which puts top names in international art side by side with Finnish artists from the heyday of Colourism in Finland.

• From 19 September to 17 December 2023, the museum’s Fokus Gallery is hosting an exhibition of photographs and art by Hugo Simberg.

“I’m really happy and grateful that our audiences have found us after three years of exceptional circumstances. It is great to leave the Ateneum to my successor after such an accomplishment, and I hope for more success in the years to come”, says the director of the Ateneum, Marja Sakari.

Sakari is going to retire on 31 December 2023. Subsequently, on 1 January 2024, after Sakari’s retirement, the current chief curator of exhibitions, Anna-Maria von Bonsdorff, will start work as director of the Ateneum.

“It has been great to see how the Ateneum’s offering of exhibitions and events has inspired people to visit the museum at a record pace. The additional space provided by the renovation, such as the café upstairs, has also enhanced the exhibition experience. The entire museum staff is looking forward to the coming years with great excitement”, says von Bonsdorff.

In terms of the total number of visitors to the Ateneum, the most popular years at the museum are shown below. (The most popular exhibition for each year is shown in brackets.)

• 2023: 501,036 visitors (Albert Edelfelt, 5 May 2023–17 Sep 2023)

PLEASE NOTE! The final number of visitors will be determined later.

• 2017: 440,828 visitors (The von Wright brothers 27 October 2017 - 25 February

• 2018 and Treasures from the National Gallery of Duckburg 3.10.2017–25.2.2018, as part of the Stories of Finnish Art collection exhibition)

• 2014: 410,173 visitors (Tove Jansson, 14 Mar 2014–7 Sep 2014)

• 2012: 400,079 visitors (Helene Schjerfbeck, 1 Jun 2012–14 Oct 2012)