Ateneum

The Ateneum (ie " Athenaeum " ) is an art museum in the Finnish capital Helsinki. It is part of the Finnish National Gallery and houses the most important collection of art in the country.

History

The Ateneum zurückt goes to the collections of the company founded in Helsinki in 1846 Finnish Art Association ( Suomen Taideyhdistys ). These were first shown to the public in 1863, which is considered the birth of the Finnish National Gallery. 1887 received the Finnish National Gallery with the Ateneum specially built for her building.

Building

The Ateneum is housed in the city center on Station Square in 1887, designed by Theodor Höijer constructed building. In the Ateneum is one of the greatest examples of Renaissance Revival architecture in Finland. The facade of the building is decorated with sculptures and reliefs, which were created by Carl Sjöstrand and symbolically represent the arts. Above the main entrance are busts of the architect Bramante, Raphael, the painter and the sculptor Phidias. The triangular pediment is supported by four caryatids, architecture, painting, sculpture and music are available for the four classical art forms. The tympanum of the triangular pediment is provided with a group of figures representing the allegorical goddess of art. Under the group of figures the Latin inscription Concordia res parvae crescunt stands ( "By concord little things grow "). Between the windows on the second floor reliefs are also attached by Ville Vallgren representing various Finnish and international artists.

Collection

The Ateneum is the largest art museum in Finland. The largest part of the collection - over 4300 paintings and more than 750 sculptures - attributable to the works of Finnish artist from the period 1700-1960, the most famous works of Finnish artists such as Albert Edelfelt, Eero Järnefelt, Pekka Halonen, Akseli Gallen-Kallela, Helene. Schjerfbeck and Hugo Simberg are exhibited here.

The international collection of Ateneum is smaller with about 650 works, but works, among others, Vincent van Gogh, Paul Gauguin, Edvard Munch, Auguste Rodin, Francisco de Goya, Paul Cezanne, Marc Chagall, Eugène Delacroix, Amedeo Modigliani, Ilya Repin and Anders Zorn also quite high-profile.

Albert Edelfelt: Mother and Child by Edelfelt.jpg, 1877

Ilya Repin: Self-portrait with Natalia Borisovna Nordman Severova, 1903.

Hugo Simberg: The Wounded Angel, 1903