The Saastamoinen Foundation Art Collection was originally owned by a Kuopio-based family of industrial entrepreneurs and art patrons who began collecting back in the 1910s. The foundation was established to support the expansion, preservation and display of the collection.

Currently numbering over 2 600 works, the collection originally specialized in expressionistic paintings by Finnish Novembrists such as Tyko Sallinen and Ilmari Aalto. Today it features a diverse cross-section of Finnish art from the early 1900s to this day, as well as international contemporary works from the late 1980s onwards.

The current focus is on contemporary painting, photography and media art, featuring international works carrying on the legacy of European art movements of the 1960s, particularly Italian arte povera. Contemporary painting is in special focus.

The latest works acquired for the collection raise questions related to the human condition in contemporary society. Humanity is also the overarching theme of the Touch exhibition, which features a curated pick of works from the Saastamoinen Foundation Art Collection.

Read more about some of the new acquisitions to the collection.