Schjerfbeck X Nordea Art Foundation Finland

This mini-exhibition features five works by one of Finland’s most celebrated artists, Helene Schjerfbeck (1862–1946). All five are on loan from the Nordea Art Foundation Finland.

Spanning different stages of the artist’s career, the works in Schjerfbeck × Nordea Art Foundation Finland trace the evolution of her distinctive style, from nineteenth-century naturalism and history painting towards an increasingly pared-down modernism. As her work evolved, narrative content gradually gave way to a purely painterly approach, with growing emphasis on the unity of surfaces, lines and tonal variations.

Earlier art-historical interpretations have often emphasised the fragility reflected in Schjerfbeck’s art, linking it to the challenges she faced in her personal life. More recent scholarship, by contrast, has focused on the expressive power, exceptional integrity and uncompromising originality of her work. Schjerfbeck was an important modernist and a bold pioneer who studied abroad and pursued her artistic vision with unwavering determination.

The Nordea Art Foundation Finland’s collection has been built up by Nordea and its predecessor banks. Building on a tradition spanning more than a century, the Foundation recognises art and banking history not only as part of our shared cultural heritage, but also for their contribution to learning, intellectual life and the enrichment of society.