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88. SARA HILDÉN AND EUROPEAN MODERNISM as well as FOUR ARTIST FROM TAMPERE: ENROTH, KAIVANTO, KANERVA AND POHJOLA,
19.6.1999 - 13.2.2000

Two exhibitions were on display at the Sara Hildén Art Museum during the summer and autumn 1999 when the EU meetings were held in Tampere. The aim of the exhibitions was to show visitors to Tampere some works of art by both European and local Finnish artists which are in permanent collections in Tampere and which are maintained and managed by the city of Tampere. The exhibitions were just two of the events held in Tampere on the occasion of the city’s 220th birthday celebrations.
On display on the museum’s upper floor, the exhibition Sara Hildén and European Modernism comprised works belonging to the Sara Hildén Foundation. In chronological order it showed the history of European modernism from 1905 to 1998. On going round the exhibition, the viewer got an overall look at the changes that have occurred in the pictorial arts during the present century. The exhibition showed also how an art collector can have an influence on the way the history of art is viewed through his or her own artistic taste, choice of art works and conception of art. The exhibition had a range of works by masters of the twentieth century, from such artists as Picasso, Miró and Léger up to the recent paintings of Enzo Cucchi.

Works by four Tampere artists - Erik Enroth, Kimmo Kaivanto, Raimo Kanerva and Gunnar Pohjola - were on display on the lower floor. These artists have played a central role in shaping the present history of art in Tampere.

The pictorial arts scene has always been lively in Tampere. Through their wide range of work and their very presence in the city, the professional artists in Tampere have created the special atmosphere which has enabled the city to develop into the first-rate cultural centre it is today. This, in turn, has increased Tampere’s appeal, thus laying the foundation for the upswing in business life, and for the cultural activities carried out by different patrons, of whom Professor Sara Hildén is one of the best known.

Although Enroth, Kaivanto, Kanerva and Pohjola are important names in Tampere art, and although certain themes and motifs can be seen in their art which link them closely with the city of Tampere, their work shows obvious connections with contemporary international art. This exhibition, just like the exhibition on European modernism, was mainly comprised of works in the collection of the Sara Hildén Foundation, but some works were borrowed from other sources.

13 311 visitors attended the exhibition.