Serlachius collections are now being added to Finna | Serlachius+

Helena Hänninen, Curator, SerlachiusCollection works owned by the Gösta Serlachius Fine Arts Foundation are now freely available in the national Finna.fi search service. In the first phase, images of the works of Akseli Gallen-Kallela and some of the works of Olga “Olli” Gummerus-Ehrström have been added to the service, and this process will continue.

The basic principle of the Finna search service, maintained by the National Library of Finland, is the idea that culture and national treasures belong to everyone. Finna opens up the materials of libraries, archives and museums, and offers everyone access to open and reliable information.

By joining Finna, Serlachius offers the opportunity to download artwork images freely from the service. When images are used, however, the owner of the work, i.e. the Gösta Serlachius Fine Arts Foundation, and the photographer of the work must be mentioned, in addition to the name of the artist and the work.

National artist’s production available to all

In the first phase, works of two artists from the Serlachius art collection have been transferred to Finna: works of Akseli Gallen-Kallela (1865–1931), national artist of Finland, and of Olga Gummerus-Ehrström (1876–1938), a little-known figure in art history.

Gallen-Kallela’s production is significant for Finnish art history and cultural identity, and the nearly two hundred works by the artist in the Serlachius collection are an important part of this.

From the link to the Taide.art website opened via Finna, it is now possible to download an artwork image of, for example, Gallen-Kallela’s Problem (Symposium) from 1894 or the sketch for The Forging of the Sampo from 1893.

Olga Gummerus-Ehrström, who remained in the shadows

Olga “Olli” Gummerus-Ehrström was a talented portrait painter who, in her youth, studied at the Finnish Art Society’s School of Drawing and Paris art academies. She married the artist Eric O.W. Ehrström (1881–1934) and worked with him in diverse art projects, collaborating with, among others, the famous architectural trio Gesellius-Lindgren-Saarinen.

Gummerus-Ehrström most probably learned her industrial art skills from her husband; it is unlikely she received such instruction at the School of Drawing or in Paris. Gummerus-Ehrström also designed and implemented exquisite artworks independently. In addition, she earned a living through advertising illustrations, such as the sweet wrappers she designed for Fazer.

Akseli Gallen-Kallela and Olga Gummerus-Ehrström knew each other, and throughout their lives they were connected in many ways, both with each other and also with industrialist Gösta Serlachius.

In the mid-1890s, Akseli Gallen-Kallela built a studio in Ruovesi, which was visited by many artists. A young Eric O.W. Ehrström, who later became Olga Gummerus-Ehrström’s husband, also studied there, developing a particular interest in industrial art.

Friendship between the artists and their patron

When Gösta Serlachius founded his art foundation in 1933, its rules specifically included collecting the works of Akseli Gallen-Kallela. Eric O.W. Ehrström was the first art expert to help Serlachius acquire them.

The friendship and cooperation between the Ehrströms and Serlachius benefited both parties in a special way. The Serlachius collection accumulated valuable artworks and the Ehrströms’ livelihood improved thanks to Serlachius’s patronage.

Through both fortunate and unfortunate events, Serlachius acquired, for example, Gallen-Kallela’s Problem, which the artist had used to wrap up a telephone at his studio, Kalela. Ehrström asked for and received the canvas for himself.When he put it in the frame, he found that it was in good condition. The work was hung on the wall of the Ehrströms’s home on Mikonkatu in Helsinki.

In 1927, Ehrström tripped while trying to catch a tram and lost his right hand in the accident. This was a devastating blow to the artist. Gösta Serlachius sought to help the artist couple by, among other things, concluding an instalment agreement for the purchase of the artworks they possessed. Among them was Problem, which was transferred to the Serlachius collection after the Gallen-Kallela memorial exhibition in 1935.

The Ehrströms donated their artistic production to the art foundation of their patron Gösta Serlachius in the 1930s. The works and sketches remained uncatalogued and inaccessible for decades until they were finally catalogued in the 2010s.An extensive exhibition of the artist couple’s works was held in Mänttä in 2019–2020 and thereafter in Vaasa. Olga’s works were also exhibited at Visavuori.

Work on opening up the collection continues at Serlachius

The Gösta Serlachius Fine Arts Foundation’s collection contains over 450 works or sketches of Olga Gummerus-Ehrström. Around a quarter of them have been transferred to Finna and the process is still ongoing. This will increase the recognition of a talented artist and hopefully stimulate interest in studying her production.

The opening of the Serlachius collection in Finna is linked to the idea, already widespread worldwide, that culture and national treasures belong to everyone. The better people know their own cultural heritage, the more they appreciate it.

Serlachius wants to contribute to providing copyright-free cultural heritage for everyone to use and modify. As there are, in any case, many artwork images online already, it is better to upload high quality jpg images together with the correct artwork information.