The Porthania Building on the University of Helsinki’s City Centre Campus will be vacated in summer 2026 ahead of a renovation. For the duration of autumn 2026, the legendary Art Room will relocate to the Helsinki University Museum Flame’s exhibition centre in the University’s Main Building, where the temporary exhibition space has been reserved for its activities.
The Art Room's stay in the Main Building offers a rare opportunity to explore the tradition of academic drawing instruction that stretches back to the University’s predecessor, the Royal Academy of Turku, in the 18th century. The exhibition will feature a selection from the Art Room’s plaster cast collection alongside intriguing examples of work by artists who have studied there, including pieces from what has been termed the Golden Age of Finnish Art and works by the current drawing master Vappu Rossi. The Art Room will be open to visitors from 16 September to 12 December 2026 during the opening hours of the Helsinki University Museum Flame’s exhibition centre: Tue–Wed 12.00–16.00, Thu 12.00–20.00, Fri–Sat 12.00–16.00.
Visitors are also welcome to practise their own drawing during the Museum’s opening hours. Plaster casts may be sketched independently for the price of Museum admission. Feel free to bring your own drawing materials, or borrow some from the Art Room. For further information, please speak to staff at the Museum’s ticket desk.
The Art Room’s courses will continue, this time in the exhibition centre facilities, with those for University of Helsinki students and those open to all taking place outside the Museum’s opening hours. Details will be published on the Museum website:
On Wednesday, 16 September 2026, the Art Room will open to the public in its temporary home at the exhibition centre. The opening day will be celebrated as an open day, with drawing master Vappu Rossi on hand to introduce the Art Room’s history, operations, facilities and artworks. A full programme will be published in August. We hope to see you there!
The Helsinki University Museum Flame’s exhibition centre, Fabianinkatu 33, Helsinki.