Serlachius collection

Alvar Cawén, A Game of Draughts, 1929, oil on canvas, Gösta Serlachius Fine Arts Foundation. Image: Hannu Miettinen.

Art collection

The paper mill owner family of Serlachius began to collect art over one hundred years ago. Gösta Serlachius Art Museum was opened for the public in 1945. Nowadays Serlachius Collection comprises thousands of artworks. The core of the Serlachius collection are classic pieces from the Golden Age of Finnish art as well as European Master paintings dating back to 16th–19th centuries. Paintings representing Impressionism as well as Modernism complement the Serlachius collection. During recent years also the collection of contemporary art from Finland and abroad have been acquired selectively.

Serlachius Museum Gösta's old manor was build in 1935 as the representative home of mill owner Gösta Serlachius.
Marshal Mannerheim with senior military officers visiting Gösta Serlachius at Joenniemi Manor 10 July 1938. K. E. Lindblad Photograph Collection / Serlachius Museums’ Picture Archive.

Cultural historical
object and archival collections

Since the beginning of the 21st century, Gösta Serlachius Fine Art Foundation has systematically stored in its collections objects, documents as well as oral history related to the history and the industrial activities of the Serlachius family. Moreover, the Fine Arts Foundation is in possession of comprehensive document and photographic archives. They were receives as a donation following the acquisition of the head office of the G. A. Serlachius Company in 2000. The head office building houses nowadays Serlachius Museum Gustaf. Archival collections entail the letter archive of the industrial family, parts of company’s document and drawing archives as well as cultural historical picture archives with focus on local history. Picture and film material have donated, among others, K-E. Lindblad, Irma and Aarne Pohjanharju as well as Kunto Ruokolainen.

Surroundings of the head office of the Serlachius Company, nowadays Museum Gustaf.
Headquarters of the G. A. Serlachius Company in 1935. Picture archive of the Serlachius Museums.

Collections Online

Gösta Serlachius Fine Arts Foundation’s collections are accessible also through different online publications.

You can access online website Taide.art which contains concise presentations in English of selected artworks from Serlachius Collection.

Also Eric O. W. Ehrström’s jewelry and jewelry designs from the Fine Arts Foundation’s collection as well as history of small industry town form their own entities. Audio guides contain additional information on the mill-owner family Serlachius, the museums and their exhibitions.

Albert Edelfelt, Girl Reading a Letter, 1879, oil on canvas, Gösta Serlachius Fine Arts Foundation. Image: Vesa Aaltonen.

Collection services

Personnel of the Serlachius Museums’ collections department share their expertise and gives further information on the collections material. In general, picture requests give rice to a fee according to its use.

In matters concerning cultural historical collection, contact Serlachius Museums’ Curator Milla-Sinivuori Hakanen, milla.sinivuori-hakanen@serlachius.fi.

Services related to picture archive of art collection the responsibility of Assistent Teemu Källi, teemu.kalli@serlachius.fi

Information services on the Serlachius collection as well as residency-related enquiries about the collection are handled by Curator Helena Hänninen, helena.hanninen@serlachius.fi

At all times the enquiries can be send to the Serlachius Museums’ info-email info@serlachius.fi.

Hugo Simberg, Dance on the Jetty, 1903. Gösta Serlachius Fine Arts Foundation. Photo: Yehia Eweis.
Hugo Simberg, Dance on the Jetty, 1903. Gösta Serlachius Fine Arts Foundation. Photo: Yehia Eweis.

Artwork loans

Gösta Serlachius Fine Arts Foundation lends its collection works to exhibition organizers, who are able to guarantee the safety of the works with professional staff and in properly supervised premises under controlled conditions.

Written loan requests may be directed to Pauli Sivonen, Director of the museum, pauli.sivonen@serlachius.fi, tel. +358 (0)50 566 1355.

Curator Tomi Moisio is our contact person in arrangements regarding artwork loans, tomi.moisio@serlachius.fi, tel. +358 (0)40 681 7455.

Image above: Akseli Gallen-Kallela, Autumn (a study for the frescoes of the Sigrid Jusélius Mausoleum), 1903, distemper and oil on canvas, Gösta Serlachius Fine Arts Foundation. Image: Hannu Miettinen.