Symphony of Art and Nature – The Serlachius Collection

Susanna Yläjärvi, Information OfficerAn extensive exhibition of the Serlachius Art Collection is on display at the Kadriorg Art Museum in Tallinn until 23 August 2026. Symphony of Art and Nature opens up the Serlachius Art Collection in a diverse way and presents the respected industrialist Gösta Serlachius as an art collector. Curators Greta Koppel from Kadriorg and Tomi Moisio from Serlachius talk about the exhibition.

Tomi Moisio: Director Aleksandra Murre and Curator Greta Koppel of the Kadriorg Art Museum visited Mänttä in May 2022. They were enchanted by the museum, it natural setting and the collection, and quite soon afterwards they proposed an exhibition collaboration.

The exhibition is exceptionally large for an international loan. How many works does it include?

Tomi Moisio: The loan consists of a total of 75 works, but some of the paper-based works will be exchanged for others during the exhibition, so 64 works are on display at any given time. The last such extensive exhibition of the Serlachius collection was held at the Gustav Lübcke Museum in Hamm, Germany in 2015.

What is so appealing about the Serlachius collection? Greta Koppel: The overall quality of the collection has impressed me. I have known about the Serlachius collection for a long time, particularly in terms of the older paintings, for example Jusepe de Ribera’s Man, Wine Bottle and Tambourine (1631). Gunnar Berndtson’s Art Connoisseurs in the Louvre (1879) has also fascinated me in connection with the study of old masters and art connoisseurs.

Tomi Moisio: Greta and I wanted to showcase works from all three focus areas of the Gösta Serlachius Fine Arts Foundation, which are old European art, the Golden Age of Finnish Art from the turn of the 20th century, and contemporary art. The exhibition focuses on the Golden Age of Finnish Art and, in particular, on Gösta Serlachius’ favourite artist, Akseli Gallen-Kallela.

Some works of contemporary art are also included. What’s their significance?

Greta Koppel: Our main goal is to provide the most comprehensive overview of the Serlachius collection and to highlight its diversity. At the same time, we want to draw attention to the vitality of the collection and the current role of the Fine Arts Foundation as a collector and supporter of Finnish contemporary art.

Does the exhibition have themes that carry the viewer through it? Tomi Moisio: One of the central themes of the exhibition is nature, which is partly due to the Serlachius’ location in the heart of nature. Other themes include folk depiction and colour. We have sought to mix art from different periods, and the hall-specific themes are quite eclectic.

Greta Koppel: We chose to place the works in dialogue: old art was brought alongside contemporary art, and old Western European masters alongside Finnish art. Through this, we sought to emphasise the continuity of the collection but also arouse curiosity in the visitor. Hugo Simberg’s Brothers (1904/1906) serves as a kind of exhibition opener. It invites one to wonder, admire and be amazed, and to create one’s own meanings and associations.

Greta Koppel: The exhibition begins with portraits of Gustaf Adolf Serlachius and Gösta Serlachius, which tell the story of the collection. We have placed alongside them works by the artists they admired and supported. The industry of Mänttä is referenced in Akseli Gallen-Kallela’s painting The Mänttä Rapids (1917). The collectors and the history of the collection are also featured throughout the exhibition in wall texts and information about individual works.

Tomi Moisio: I strongly believe in the power of collaboration. Culture has been relegated to a secondary role in society, so I believe that cultural actors should collaborate in a more diverse, open-minded and purposeful way. It would also be good for countries to cooperate more, emphasise the unifying power of culture, and find elements that unite nations.

Greta Koppel: This kind of collaboration has special value, particularly in these times: it maintains faith in stability and trust. The importance of art for mental wellbeing is becoming increasingly clear, and therefore it is very inspiring to be able to present a collection that consists of excellent works, and in which every work offers food for thought.

Symphony of Art and Nature – The Serlachius Collection is on display until 23 August 2026 at the Kadriorg Art Museum in Tallinn.

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