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Retrospective of a radical reformist
Magnus Enckell is one of the key artists of the golden age of Finnish art in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and yet only some of his work is known. The Ateneum exhibition offers a diverse overview of Enckell’s entire oeuvre from five different decades.
The exhibition and the book to be published in conjunction with it shed light on the artist’s many facets. Enckell, on the one hand, promoted radical reforms in art, but, on the other, relied on the traditions of culture and education. He was a dreamer, but also an international man of the world, a curator of exhibitions, the chairman of the Artists’ Association of Finland, and a creator of monumental works. Music, theatre, and literature were all important to this diversely educated artist.
The exhibition presents many previously unknown works, sketchbooks, pieces from Enckell’s extensive body of drawings, and photographs from his own archive. The exhibition presents Enckell’s work, from the early pieces he created when studying at a drawing school to the mythological works of the 1920s.
The exhibition curators are the director of the Ateneum, Marja Sakari; the director of collections management at the Finnish National Gallery, Riitta Ojanperä; and the chief curator of exhibitions at the Ateneum, Anna-Maria von Bonsdorff.
Book a virtual guided tour
Virtual guided tour: Magnus Enckell
This virtual guided tour offers treats from Enckell’s world of art: during the tour, we explore the artist’s most important works, as well as some lesser-known pieces. We take a look at the time in which Enckell and his fellow artists lived – the values, new phenomena and travel of the era. The virtual guided tour also highlights the artist’s humane and appreciative attitude to life; an aspect that is still relevant today.
The tour does not take place in the exhibition galleries, but the guide presents the themes and works using a visual presentation. There is an opportunity to ask questions at the end of the tour.
The tour is provided to participants as a guide-led session on Microsoft Teams. There is no need to download the Teams application: you can join the tour using a browser. You can participate in the tour as a group or individually from your own workstation, following the link we provide.
To participate in a virtual guided tour, you need a network connection with a minimum speed of 10 Mbit/s, or a 4G connection. Recording the virtual guided tour is prohibited.
Tour languages: Finnish, Swedish, and English
Price: €95, for schools €70
Group size: max. 20 people
Duration: 45 min
