Ateneum Art Museum - Helsinki, Finland
6 September 2025–1 February 2026
Akseli Gallen-Kallela and the Secessionists met in early 20th-century Vienna
The young artists of the late 19th and early 20th centuries wanted to make a radical break away from old art ideals and move towards a new, freer conception of art. The most famous example of such a departure is the Vienna Secession, which was founded in 1897 under the direction of Gustav Klimt.
The Gallen-Kallela, Klimt & Wien exhibition is about the Secessionists with whom Akseli Gallen-Kallela collaborated and in whose exhibitions he participated. The pulsating art scene of 20th-century Vienna and the integration of various international influences in the form of ideas and styles are highlighted in this exhibition, which features both modern art and modern design. At the same time, the exhibition marks the first showing of Klimt’s paintings in Finland.
The main goal of the Secessionists was the equality of all art forms. Visual art, architecture, crafts, design and fashion were to represent a changed and modern world. The Secessionists were united by the development of a new identity and way of life, as well as an interest in monumentalism and the depiction of beauty. Secessionism was not a unified art movement, but it rather incorporated a broad array of styles, such as art nouveau, symbolism and impressionism. Women could not become official members of the Vienna Secession, but they participated in exhibitions and played a significant role as reformists.
The exhibition features works, for example, by the following artists and designers: Emilie Flöge, Akseli Gallen-Kallela, Ferdinand Hodler, Josef Hoffmann, Gustav Klimt, Broncia Koller-Pinell, Max Kurzweil, Elena Luksch-Makowsky, Koloman Moser, and Edvard Munch.
The Gallen-Kallela, Klimt & Wien exhibition has been created in collaboration with the Belvedere Museum, Vienna.
The exhibition is curated by the chief curator at the Ateneum, Anu Utriainen in cooperation with Arnika Groenewald-Schmidt, PhD (Belvedere Museum). The exhibition catalogue is published in Finnish, Swedish and English.
Gustav Klimt: Amalie Zuckerkandl (1917/1918). 1988 Widmung Vita & Gustav Künstler, Belvedere, Vienna. Photo: Johannes Stoll / Belvedere, Vienna
