MODERN FOCUS, WORKS FROM THE COLLECTION OF MAIRE GULLICHSEN ART FOUNDATION
PRESS RELEASE (in Finnish)
The Collection of Maire Gullichsen Art Foundation comprises 531 works, most of which represent Finnish art spanning from the turn of the century to the 1980s. The collection emerged alongside the long-term cultural endeavors of Professor Maire Gullichsen (1907–1990), who was involved in numerous significant cultural projects beginning in the 1930s. After the foundation’s establishment in 1971, the collection began to expand systematically, especially as the idea of founding an art museum in the old customs and packing house of Pori gained traction. The building’s renovation, designed by architect Kristian Gullichsen, was completed in 1981, after which the collection has been regularly showcased alongside rotating exhibitions.
Together with the City of Pori Art Collection, the Collection of Maire Gullichsen Art Foundation forms the core of the Pori Art Museum’s permanent collection, which grows annually through acquisitions, donations, and archival additions. This collection provides a natural foundation for the museum’s focus on contemporary art exhibitions. It is also closely tied to exhibitions featuring modern art classics, both domestic and international—such as those of Josef Albers (1988), Alberto Magnelli (1987), Unto Pusa (1984), and the group exhibition Forme Vivante (1983)—which have been hosted at the museum.
A significant portion of the Maire Gullichsen Art Foundation’s collection traces the development of Finnish modern art, particularly the breakthrough of abstract painting and sculpture after World War II. Artists such as Birger Carlstedt, Sam Vanni, Lars-Gunnar Nordström, and Ernst Mether-Borgström were central pioneers and innovators in Finnish constructivist art. Maire Gullichsen’s role as a patron, art collector, and organizer of numerous cultural projects related to visual arts, architecture, and design contributed to the modernization and internationalization of Finnish art.
In this cultural transformation, French influences served as inspiration for Finnish artists. Works by figures such as Fernand Léger, Edgar Pillet, Victor Vasarely, and Nordic artists like Robert Jacobsen and Richard Mortensen encouraged Finnish artists to explore and apply abstract forms while engaging with theoretical questions about art. Opportunities to encounter modern international art in Finland began in the 1930s, during which Maire Gullichsen played a role in organizing exhibitions through organizations like Contemporary Art Society, Artek, and later Galerie Artek. Notable exhibitions included Léger’s display at Artek in 1937 and the Parisian Modern Art Exhibition at the Kunsthalle Helsinki in 1952.
The Collection of Maire Gullichsen Art Foundation also includes works by foreign artists, such as Garam (1949–53) by Hungarian-born Victor Vasarely, an early example of his oeuvre. Another piece from this period in the Foundation’s possession is Altai (1951). The use of color and form in these Vasarely paintings closely resembles Sam Vanni’s composition from 1954, acquired by the Foundation as a donation from Contemporary Art Society. in 1993. Vanni’s composition, created on a yellow background, was featured in his solo exhibition at Galerie Artek in 1955, where he exclusively showcased abstract paintings for the first time.
Many artists represented in the collection have ties to the Free Art School, which began operating in Helsinki in 1935. The school was modeled after the free art academies of Paris, which Maire Gullichsen, one of the founding members, had encountered in the 1920s. These continental influences were sought to rejuvenate Finland’s stagnating art scene of the 1930s and counter the rigidity of official art education. By the 1950s, the school became a vital channel for modern Finnish art, with influential teachers such as Unto Pusa and Sam Vanni.
In the 1970s, the Free Art School’s teaching focused on color theory, particularly Josef Albers’ principles, under the guidance of Tor Arne and Carolus Enckell. Their works in the foundation’s collection represent a pure exploration of the expressive power of color. Similarly, the collection features paintings by Jorma Hautala, Outi Ikkala, Seppo Kärkkäinen, and Paul Osipow, which are characterized by the harmony of geometric forms and colors. In these works, color and form function as independent elements, creating depth, surface effects, and occasionally an illusion of movement. Eino Ruutsalo’s 1970s works, such as Kosmos 3, reflect the era’s interest in integrating new methods and techniques into art.
The oldest works in the collection include pieces by Magnus Enckell, Tyko Sallinen, Helene Schjerfbeck, and Ellen Thesleff. Magnus Enckell’s Youth and Swan (1916) was one of Maire Gullichsen’s earliest acquisitions, alongside Schjerfbeck’s Self-Portrait (1913–23). Olli Miettinen’s Nature Morte (1930) represents a cautious attempt to apply the cubist influences absorbed in Paris. From the same era are cityscapes by Hjalmar Hagelstam and Sulho Sipilä, both of whom later served as instructors at the Free Art School in the 1940s.
The Collection of Maire Gullichsen Art Foundation features works by Finnish sculptors, including the masters of modern wood sculpture, Mauno Hartman and Kain Tapper. Hartman’s totemic sculptures merge materials and elements from Finland’s traditional log-building heritage into autonomous structures accentuated by bold colors. Tapper’s sculptures carve and patinate impressions of natural processes—rain, the moonlight of a frosty night, or flowing water—into solid wooden forms.
Other key figures in Finnish sculpture from the 1960s represented in the collection include Heikki Häiväoja, Harry Kivijärvi, and Laila Pullinen. Häiväoja’s Shimmer (Reflections) and Kivijärvi’s Stone of the Wise Men were showcased in the Finnish Pavilion at the 1966 Venice Biennale, alongside paintings by Ahti Lavonen, such as Shapes that Meet and Black and Brown, at the 1968 Biennale. During the 1960s, the Biennale played a pivotal role as a meeting point for Finnish and international art, fostering experimentation with new forms of expression in Finland. Maire Gullichsen was deeply involved in the Venice Biennale, organizing Alvar Aalto’s design for Finland’s pavilion in 1956.
Connections to Italy were particularly significant in the context of sculpture, with many artists, including Mauno Hartman and Laila Pullinen, studying there. Pullinen’s Crushed Nike (1966), created in Rome, envelops the classical figure of the goddess Nike in dramatically flowing bronze. Another of Pullinen’s works, Daughter of the Baltic (1976), is a sketch for the Maila Talvio memorial in Helsinki’s Meilahti district. Representing 1970s sculpture, the collection includes works by Kari Huhtamo, Ukri Merikanto, and Pekka Pitkänen. Harry Kivijärvi’s Sea-Gull, located in front of the Pori Art Museum, was erected in 1987 to honor Professor Maire Gullichsen’s 80th birthday.
Marita Liulia’s CD-ROM artwork Maire (1992) provides an immersive exploration of the modernist era underpinning the Collection of Maire Gullichsen Art Foundation. It also offers additional insights into the artists and their works featured in the collection.
Translated with ChatGPT