Art in Transformation

Art in Transformation presents approximately one hundred paintings, prints and sculptures by leading Finnish artists from the 1960s to the 1980s, a period when postmodernism was gaining ground in Finland. Running from 20 January to 4 February 2013, the exhibition is curated by Professor Maaretta Jaukkuri.

The collections of the Association of Finnish Fine Arts Foundations in the exhibition are complemented by works from the collection of the Amos Anderson Art Museum, as well as a selection of new video art.

Finnish art from the 1960s to the 1980s was characterized by rapid internationalization. Moreover, the 1970s was marked by the politicization of the cultural field. As a whole, the period was one of active debate and exchange of ideas.

Art media branched out, and attitudes towards new influences became more tolerant. The greatest change was in the sphere of references, the focus of which shifted to urban environments and the imagery of popular culture.

The exhibition is accompanied by the publication of a book by Maaretta Jaukkuri, Muutosten pyörteissä - Suomalaista kuvataidetta 1960-80-luvuilla ('Art in Transformation - Finnish Visual Art from the 1960s-80s').

The Art in Transformation exhibition and book bring to a close the Association's series of chronological exhibitions and publications. Our Pictures had as its theme the Golden Age of Finnish art from the 1850s to the early 1900s, Two Faces of the Modern showcased the art of the 1920s and 1930s, and Constructors of Light presented post-war art from the 1940s and 1950s.

The exhibitions and the books have focused attention on less-researched periods in the history of Finnish art. Maaretta Jaukkuri's book is the first comprehensive account of the development of Finnish art from the 1960s to the end of the 1980s.