1930´S AND MAIRE GULLICHSEN II – Magnus Enckell, Ellen Thesleff

PRESS RELEASE:

Maire Gullichsen and the 1930s II
MEDIApiste, September 17 – November 21, 2004

The series of small exhibitions exploring the early stages of modernism in Finland continues at the MEDIApiste of the Pori Art Museum. The exhibition Maire Gullichsen and the 1930s II, together with an article by Renja Suominen-Kokkonen, Adjunct Professor and Lecturer of Art History at the University of Helsinki, offers an intriguing and enriched perspective on the development of Finnish art and culture from the 1930s onward.

Maire Gullichsen’s life work as a promoter of Finnish visual arts and an advocate of modernism is widely recognized by scholars, enthusiasts, and the general public alike. However, the same level of attention has not been afforded to the art collection assembled by Maire Gullichsen, despite its prominence in various contexts and exhibitions, including those organized by the Pori Art Museum. The origins and history of the collection have been relatively under-researched, even though Villa Mairea, with its unique interiors, continues to draw considerable interest and attention.

One of Maire Gullichsen’s earliest acquisitions was Wäinö Aaltonen’s bronze relief Mother and Child (also known as Song of My Heart), purchased in 1934 through Elna Kiljander. The piece was prominently displayed in the Gullichsens’ home in Kaivopuisto, Helsinki, first in the living room and later in the expanded dining room, designed by Alvar and Aino Aalto in 1936. Alongside Wäinö Aaltonen’s work, the dining room also featured Magnus Enckell’s watercolor sketch Chaos II (1918), admired by Maire Gullichsen, and Ellen Thesleff’s exquisite small oil painting Midsummer (1912). Together with Helene Schjerfbeck’s Self-Portrait, presented earlier this spring at MEDIApiste, these works form a cohesive narrative transporting viewers to a scene from seventy years ago.

The exhibition’s theme is further explored in The Library of Art, the fourth book in the Pori Art Museum’s Studies series, set for release in late September or early October. The publication delves into the early stages of the Gullichsen art collection, mapping the acquisitions’ connections to Finnish and international art, and examining the relationship between the artworks and the Villa Mairea, designed by Alvar Aalto. In addition to Renja Suominen-Kokkonen’s article, the book chronicles the exhibitions and presentations of the Maire Gullichsen Art Foundation’s collection at the Pori Art Museum since 1979.

Translated with ChatGPT