Record number of visitors see Albert Edelfelt 150th Anniversary Exhibition in Helsinki

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The Ateneum Art Museum’s extensive Albert Edelfelt (1854-1905) jubilee exhibition was the all-time most visited art exhibition ever held in Finland. It ran from September 3rd 2004 to January 30th this year, and and it attracted an audience of over 300,000 people in the five months. The second most popular art exhibition to date has been Akseli Gallen-Kallela’s exhibition in 1996 with about 200,000 visitors, and the third was Helene Schjerfbeck’s exhibition in 1992, which also attracted close to 200,000 visitors.
      On the other hand, the Gallen-Kallela and Schjerfbeck exhibitions were on for a shorter period than Edelfelt’s retrospective.
      The busiest day was Thursday of last week with close to 7,000 visitors.
      In connection with the exhibition, a jubilee book was published in Finnish and in English providing a background to Edelfelt’s position as one of the most illustrious figures in Finnish art history. The book also proved to be popular and even the third edition has been sold out.
     
A part of the paintings at the jubilee exhibition will be transferred to Stockholm, where a slightly smaller exhibition will be opened at Prince Eugen’s Walemarsudde that originally was the home of Prince Eugen, who was also a painter and an art collector.
      The exhibition will run from March 5th to August 15th. A Swedish edition of the Edelfelt jubilee book will be published in connection with the exhibition.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Albert Edelfelt's mysterious Virginie is an enduring myth in Finnish art history (11.5.2004)

Links:
  Ateneum Art Museum
  Prince Eugen's Waldemarsudde

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