Patrons book | Serlachius | Serlachius+

The history of the Serlachius art collection is an intriguing story that weaves together art, history, architecture, forestry, and Finnish identity. This book celebrates the enduring contribution made by the Serlachius family as patrons of the arts, leaders of a paper conglomerate, and builders of an ideal community.

The patrons of Mänttä and the residents of its mill community transformed their small hometown into an internationally noted cultural destination with an identity strongly linked to papermaking and art. The Serlachius family supported many artists and assembled a unique art collection in Mänttä. This book also takes a wider look at the history of patronage from the Medici to the Rockefellers.

Mänttä’s first patron, G.A. Serlachius, discovered the young Akseli Gallen-Kallela and Emil Wikström in the late 19thcentury. The industrialist supported them financially and personally commissioned numerous artworks for his collection. His patronage was carried on by Gösta Serlachius, who in 1933 established a foundation to manage the family’s growing art collection. The foundation’s work was later continued by Gösta’s successors, R. Erik Serlachius and Gustaf Serlachius.

From the theme of patronage, the book expands its focus to take a wider look at the history of Mänttä, a former backwater which the Serlachius enterprise transformed into a prosperous industrial town. In the 1950s and 1960s, Mänttä was presented to Finnish visitors and foreign dignitaries as the ideal Finnish community.

Writers: Helena Hänninen, Petra Lehtoruusu, Tomi Kontio, Päivi Nieppola, Milla Sinivuori-Hakanen, Pauli Sivonen, Katri Tolonen, Päivi Viherkoski, Annika Ylä-Rotiala
Layout: Ville Karppanen
Publised by Parvs Publishing
Printed in Jelgavas Tipogrãfija, Jelgava, 2026
Language: English
136 pages
Serlachius Museums publications 106
ISBN 978-952-7441-81-7

If you would like to have the cataloque delivered abroad, please contact shop@serlachius.fi

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