While there is one Van Gogh painting and a couple of Rodin sculptures, the Ateneum has wisely decided to focus on Finnish artists. It is like unwrapping an unexpected gift, so don't be concerned you won't know the artists. Visit anyway. This summer I saw the works of two featured Finnish artists, Eero Nelimarkka (1891-1977) and Elga Sessemann (1922-2007).
While Eero (Eric) Nelimarkka is the more well known of the artists (at least to Finns), I found Elga's work equally compelling. Her exhibits were meant to just run ten days at the beginning of August, but the exhibition was extended, so I was in luck. Born in 1922, Elga was known for her self portraits, which convey a certain melancholy, or just contemplation. Here you see her in 1945 and 1946. One portrait is with her husband, also an artist.
After his death she painted a series of angels burdened with grief, to match her own. This painting is from 1965.
Then I went up to the third floor to view the larger exhibit on Eero Nelimarrka. The youngest of eight, he was born in a poorhouse in 1891 in Finland. His father, bankrupt and ill, died in an asylum nine years later, and his mother kept the family together with work as a seamstress. Eero trained as a confectioner, but everyone noticed his artistic talent. He eventually was able to train in Paris and by 1920 was an established artist. He too was a master of the self portrait. Here you see him in 1922 in close up.
He also painted his wife Saima frequently. Here you see her in 1938.
The permanent exhibit is on the second floor, and is always worth a look. Before Finland gained its independence in 1917, its "Finninish" had to be displayed in painting, as its land and people were either controlled by the Swedes or the Russians. Here you see scenes of Finnish life and mythology.
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