Extensive Serlachius exhibition at Kadriorg Art Museum in Tallinn

The exhibition Symphony of Art and Nature opens up the Serlachius Art Collection in a diverse way. Included are Old Masters of European art, classic works of the Golden Age of Finnish Art from the turn of the 20th century, early modernist works and a selection of contemporary art.

The exhibition is curated by Greta Koppel, Curator of the Kadriorg Art Museum, Art Museum of Estonia, and Tomi Moisio, Curator at Serlachius. The exhibition is the result of around three years of collaboration.

“Our main goal is to provide the best possible overview of the Serlachius Art Collection and highlight its diversity. We want to tell about the early stages of the collection: about Gösta Serlachius’ activities as a collector, his personal preferences, and Akseli Gallen-Kallela as the central artist of the collection,” says Koppel.

One of the main themes of the exhibition is nature, to which the title itself refers. According to Koppel, her first visit to Serlachius in Mänttä in spring 2022 was an unforgettable experience. “The perfect harmony of nature and art made a deep impression on me. It echoes in the title of this exhibition.”

Hall-specific themes allow for playfulness

The curators of the exhibition have sought to mix art from different periods, and the hall-specific themes are quite eclectic. Old art can be found alongside by contemporary art, and Finnish art next to works by old European Masters.The galleries have wall texts that focus on the history of the collection and the themes of nature and folklore.

“We want to emphasise the continuity and vitality of the collection. We hope it will arouse the visitor’s curiosity. At the same time, it refers to the current international reach and significance of the collection as well as the Gösta Serlachius Fine Arts Foundation’s activities,” says Koppel.

The exhibition displays a total of 75 works by around 40 artists. In addition to Gallen-Kallela, the artists Emil Wikström, Helene Schjerfbeck and Hugo Simberg also feature. There are works by the artist couple Eric O.W. Ehrström and Olga Gummerus-Ehrström, who cooperated closely with Gösta Serlachius, and contemporary artists Anna Retulainen and Anu Tuominen. 

Exceptionally large loan

Serlachius constantly lends works from its collection to exhibitions around the world. It is rare, however, to organise an exhibition of several dozen works outside of Finland. The last such extensive exhibition of the Serlachius collection was held at the Gustav Lübcke Museum in Hamm. Germany in 2015.

The exhibition is spread over almost 200 square metres of exhibition space in five halls at the Kadriorg Art Museum. Not all the works in the exhibition will be on display at the same time. Some of the paper-based works will be exchanged for others during the exhibition.

According to Tomi Moisio and Greta Koppel, the collaboration has gone very well. They also believe in cross-border cultural cooperation.

“In world politics, isolationist thinking has long been dominant. I believe that cultural actors should collaborate in a more diverse, open-minded and purposeful way. It would also be good for states to emphasise the unifying power of culture and find elements that unite nations,” says Moisio.

Symphony of Art and Nature – The Serlachius Collection exhibition is on display at Kadriorg Art Museum from 28 February to 23 August 2026. 

For further information, please contact:
Tomi Moisio, Curator, Serlachius, tomi.moisio@serlachius.fi
Greta Koppel, Curator, Kadriorg Art Museum, greta.koppel@ekm.ee

Kadriorg Art Museum is open: Tue, Thu-Sun 10–18, Wed 10–20, Mon closed.
Museum visiting address: Weizenbergi 37, 10127 Tallinn

Email: kadriorg@ekm.ee