Welcome to the Eero Nelimarkka exhibition press conference on Wednesday 11 March 2026, at 10:15

The press conference for the Eero Nelimarkka exhibition on Wednesday 11 March 2026

The press conference will be held in the Ateneum Hall starting at 10:15. The doors of the Ateneum will open at 10:00. The exhibition will be open for preview on the third floor of the museum until 13:00. You can also follow the press conference online. 

At the event, the exhibition will be discussed by its curator, the director of collections management at the Finnish National Gallery, Riitta Ojanperä, and the director of the Ateneum, Anna-Maria von Bonsdorff. The event will be in Finnish. Please register for the event by Tuesday 10 March. Click this link to register. 

See directions on how to get here. 

You can also follow the press conference online 

To join the press conference online, click this link. You can join from 10:00, and the press conference will start at 10:15. During the event, you can ask questions using the chat function. To join the meeting using a mobile device, you need to download the Teams application. When using a computer, you can also join using just a browser. When using a browser, we recommend using the latest version of Chrome or Edge.  

More information:
Communications Officer Reetta Haarajoki, tel. +358 50 476 6290, reetta.haarajoki[a]ateneum.fi
Communications manager Anna Kari, tel. +358 40 717 8185, anna.kari[a]ateneum.fi 

Images: press.ateneum.fi

An exhibition of works by Eero Nelimarkka takes a fresh look at the versatile artist 

Eero Nelimarkka, 13 March–13 September 2026, Ateneum Art Museum 

An exhibition covering the entire career of Eero Nelimarkka (1891–1977) takes a fresh look at the versatile artist and sheds light on his view of the world. Nelimarkka’s fascinating life story traces his journey from being the son of a washerwoman in Vaasa to becoming one of Finland’s most popular artists, whose career was one of a dedicated artist. 

A skilled portrayer of people painted a remarkable number of self-portraits 

Eero Nelimarkka is known as a painter of the landscapes of South Ostrobothnia, but he was also particularly skilled in portraying people. Nelimarkka’s work includes a wide range of portraits that demonstrate the artist’s ability to precisely capture the character of his subjects. The artist’s most cherished model was his wife, Saima, and the rest of his family often modelled for him, too. Throughout his career, Nelimarkka painted a considerable number of self-portraits, probably more than any other Finnish artist. 

In Finnish visual art, the 1910s was a decade of searching for something new, and at the time, Nelimarkka’s paintings displayed a reduction of colour and form, in keeping with the modern spirit of the era. During his career, in addition to rural landscapes, he often portrayed cities, such as landscapes in Helsinki and views from his many trips abroad. 

There is an ambiguous strangeness in the artist’s interesting compositions, which feature characteristics of magical realism. The subjects of the paintings are quite simple – a pair of shoes left on the floor, or a pile of hats – but there is a sense that the compositions include many meanings. There is something inexplicable in the works, the presence of which the viewer can only sense. 

Nelimarkka’s marriage to Saima Alaviitala from Alahärmä in 1918 gave him access to a prosperous farming community in South Ostrobothnia. Nelimarkka lived in Helsinki, and in 1933, he was granted an atelier residence in the Lallukka Artists’ Home. Later, Nelimarkka lived on Töölönkatu street, which was his home for the rest of his life. In 1964, the artist founded the Nelimarkka Museum in Alajärvi, designed in a modernist style by the architect Hilding Ekelund, with the aim of promoting cultural education. Today, the museum operates as a regional art museum for South Ostrobothnia. 

The first comprehensive display of Nelimarkka’s work since the 1980s 

The display at the Ateneum will be the first exhibition of Nelimarkka’s work to be staged at a museum that comprehensively presents the artist’s entire career. In addition to the paintings, the exhibition features a small number of drawings and photographs of Nelimarkka’s life. In addition to works from the Finnish National Gallery collection, the exhibits include extensive loans from museums and private collections across Finland. The last comprehensive exhibition of Eero Nelimarkka’s art was held five years after the artist’s death, in Helsingin Taidetalo in 1982. 

The curator of the exhibition is the director of collections management at the Finnish National Gallery, Riitta Ojanperä. The exhibition will be accompanied by the publication of an extensive, research-based exhibition catalogue in Finnish, Swedish and English, edited by the chief curator at the Ateneum, Marja Lahelma. The publication of the exhibition catalogue is supported by the Nelimarkka Foundation. The Nelimarkka Museum, the South Ostrobothnia Art Museum, is a partner of the exhibition. 

Explore the diverse events related to the exhibition 

Exhibition-related events will include, for example, a number of lectures and discussions. You can also draw at the exhibition. Our workshop guides will be present on Wednesdays, from 18 March to 9 September at 16:00–19:00, to offer tips. Drawing tools will be available. 

Read more about the events 

Children’s Path to the Eero Nelimarkka exhibition 

Follow the slipper symbols and explore the tasks targeted at children! 

Explore the Children’s Path online  

Ateneum Art Museum 

Opening hours 

Mon closed | Tue 10–18 | Wed–Thu 10–20 | Fri 10–18 | Sat–Sun 10–17  From 1 July to 31 August 2026, the Ateneum will also be open on Mondays, from 11:00 to 17:00.  

Admission fees 

Standard ticket at the ticket office €23 | Standard ticket online €21 | Concession ticket €13 | 18–24-year-olds €13 | Under 18-year-olds free of charge | Free admission with a Museum Card