Helsinki art city
The turn of the 19th and 20th centuries is considered the Golden Age of Finnish and Helsinki art.
It was then that Finnish visual arts experienced an unparalleled rise.
Currently, the art life in Helsinki is vibrant and diverse. Numerous galleries offer visitors interest-ing and, at times, audacious experiences and you will not be bored when visiting museum col-lections.
The Finnish National Gallery, the Ateneum Art Museum, offers visitors the largest art collection in the country. Works by the most-loved Finnish masters from the 18th century to the 1960s and foreign art from the late 19th century onwards are exhibited in the museum.
The internationally renowned Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma has a collection of contem-porary art from the 1960s onwards. The focus is on Finnish, Baltic, Russian and Nordic art. The collection of 9,000 works is exhibited in annually changing exhibitions.
The Tennis Palace entertainment centre is home to the Museum of Cultures and the Helsinki City Art Museum, the exhibitions of which are often popular with young people.
The traditional Kunsthalle Helsinki holds a dozen high-level exhibitions annually. In addition to Finnish and foreign visual art, the Kunsthalle presents current works in the fields of architecture, design and photography.
Both the residents of Helsinki and tourists are also well advised to visit the Amos Anderson and Sinebrychoff art museums. The collection of the Amos Anderson Art Museum has an emphasis on Finnish art at the turn of the 20th century, while the Sinebrychoff Art Museum is Finland's only museum specialising in old European art.
The Didrichsen Museum of Art and Culture, located slightly beyond the city centre in Kuusisaari, is a unique combination of an art museum and a private home.
Helsinki is also well known for its design. The Design Museum presents design, arts and crafts and industrial design from the late 19th century to the present. The National Museum of Finland offers a chance to travel through time to Finland's past and the birthplace of Finnish art.
Links:
Ateneum
Kiasma
Helsinki City Art Museum
Text: Mari VIlkki
Photo: City of Helsinki Picture Bank
Linnanmäki amusement park (1 260 000)