Schjerfbeck X Nordea Art Foundation Finland opens at the Tampere Art Museum on 19 May 2026

Through the five works on display, the exhibition traces Helene Schjerfbeck's artistic career. The works cover almost the entire artistic career of Helene Schjerfbeck and provide an opportunity to see the key aspects of her artistic expression. The Nordea Art Foundation's exhibition also complements the Art Museum's popular Encore! collection exhibition, which features two works by Helene Schjerfbeck from the Tampere Art Museum's own collections.

Schjerfbeck's early works represent 19th century naturalism and history painting. At the time, historical subjects were seen as belonging to the male experience and inappropriate for women. Schjerfbeck was the only Finnish female painter to tackle historical subjects in her large and ambitious works. Helene Schjerfbeck spent much of the 1880s studying and working abroad, mainly in France and England. Traditional lifestyles and local models were interesting subjects for the artist. Child themes were popular at the time and were also reflected in Schjerfbeck's art. In her portraits, Schjerfbeck sought to capture the inner world of her models, and she liked to portray her family and relatives, especially her mother Olga.

In 1890 Schjerfbeck returned to Finland. During the Hyvinkää period, Helene Schjerfbeck's art became increasingly modernist. She moved from narrative content to a purely painterly direction. Earlier art historical research has emphasised the fragility of Helene Schjerfbeck's art, linking it to the challenges she faced in her life. Later, the expressive power, exceptional strength and uncompromising originality of Schjerfbeck's work have been recognised. She was a courageous pioneer, an artist who studied abroad, an ambitious artist and an important modernist.

The Nordea Art Foundation collection is the result of the art collection of Nordea and Nordea's predecessor banks. The Nordea Art Foundation continues the banks' over 100 years of collecting, in which art and banking history are seen not only as cultural heritage but also as part of civilisation and thought.

Schjerfbeck X Nordea Art Foundation Finland is the culmination of the exhibition activities of the Tampere Art Museum in the Pyynikki area, which will be put on hold for a while. The museum will continue to exhibit in temporary premises during the renovation and rebuilding process.

Schjerfbeck X Nordea Art Foundation Finland
19.5.-14.6.2026
Tampere Art Museum