Throughout his life, Akseli Gallen-Kallela (1865–1931) took on artistic challenges in order to perfect an oeuvre comprising paintings, literature, prints, designs, and architecture, motivating himself to flights of creativity. Fascinated by the Finnish national epic Kalevala, he portrayed his ancestral landscapes, culture, and people in a manner that went beyond the connection to his own country, revealing a sophisticated cosmopolite. Through his studies in Paris in the eighteen-eighties, Gallen-Kallela developed close contacts to the European art scene: he participated in the 1900 Parisian World’s Fair, belonged to the group of Brücke artists, and showed his work at the 1914 Venice Biennale. This publication takes a candid look at his oeuvre, which long served the cause of Finnish patriotism. In addition to approximately seventy paintings, this volume presents furniture and textile designs from a period spanning five decades. (French edition ISBN 978-3-7757-3233-8) Exhibition schedule: Helsinki City Art Museum, September 23, 2011–January 15, 2012 | Musée d' Orsay, Paris, February 7–May 6, 2012 | Museum Kunstpalast, Düsseldorf, June 2–September 9, 2012
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