NEW ACQUISITIONS FROM THE PORI CITY ART COLLECTION – OTTO MÄKILÄ

PRESS RELEASE

The Pori Art Museum’s collection was significantly enriched in 1983 with the acquisition of four paintings by Otto Mäkilä, created between 1938 and 1945. Otto Mäkilä (1904–1955), a prominent painter and printmaker, is regarded as the most notable pioneer of surrealism in Finland. He also played a crucial role in the development of abstract expression in Finnish art.

Assistant Curator Leena Peltola has described Otto Mäkilä as follows:

“Otto Mäkilä is recognized as a central figure in the Turku Modernist School and as Finland’s leading exponent of surrealism. Like his mentor Edvin Lydén, Mäkilä was an open-minded artist with an outward gaze, profoundly influenced by a study trip to Paris and the Netherlands in 1930–31. These experiences brought crucial insights from international cubism and surrealism, which he seamlessly merged with his own lyrical and mystical vision. Seireenit (The Sirens) exemplifies this synthesis.

In the late 1940s, Mäkilä transitioned to the so-called machine compositions, which led him to the pure abstraction of his final years. Throughout these periods, a quiet, contemplative, lyrical undertone remained a hallmark of his art. During springtime, he often painted watercolors in the landscapes of Ruissalo, capturing a nearly magical connection to nature. Otto Mäkilä was a silent mystic, perpetually pondering the fundamental purpose of art and existence.

In addition to his artworks, he left behind numerous theoretical and philosophical writings on art, as well as art critiques. He also served for many years as a teacher and principal at the Turku Art Society’s Drawing School and as the leader of Group 9, actively participating in the artistic life of his hometown.”

The oil paintings acquired by the Pori Art Museum — Ystävät (Friends) (1938), Uimarit (Swimmers) (1945), Kasvot (Faces) (1945) — and the gouache painting from 1939, significantly enhance the museum’s collection of modern Finnish art, offering new dimensions in the realm of surrealist expression.

Translated with ChatGPT