20/5/2010
Ilya Glazunov and Finland
Kiasma, Helsinki
The Soviet painter attracted considerable public interest and many influential Finnish friends in the early 1970s with an individualistic approach and Slavic Romanticism that brought worldly style and flair to a Finnish art world stifled by solemn social obligations. The 30 portraits from private Finnish collections on display at the Kiasma exhibition date mainly from the 1970s, and many are now shown in public for the first time.
The Ilya Glazunov and Finland exhibition looks at Finland in the Kekkonen era (1956-81) through one phenomenon of the art world.
The Soviet painter Ilya Glazunov (b. 1930) attracted considerable public interest and many influential Finnish friends in the early 1970s with an individualistic approach and Slavic Romanticism that brought worldly style and flair to a Finnish art world stifled by solemn social obligations.
The 30 portraits from private Finnish collections on display at the Kiasma exhibition date mainly from the 1970s, and many are now shown in public for the first time. Through one phenomenon this exhibition showcases the public debate on art that is occasionally sparked off by media interest in the personality of an artist or in some "controversial work".
Styled the court painter of the Kekkonen era, Glazunov made his mark in Finland in 1973 after he was commissioned to paint an official portrait of President Kekkonen. He also painted several other prominent Finns of the time, such as Marimekko founder Armi Ratia (1973), leading designer Timo Sarpaneva (1975), and Speaker of Parliament Johannes Virolainen (1982), and his subjects included many other influential cultural, financial and organisation leaders and their close relatives, as well as the artist's Finnish friends.
Besides paintings and drawings, some documentary materials are also on display, including photographs and TV shows providing background on the works and the cultural climate of Finland in the 1970s. The architectural design of the exhibition space is the work of Ralf Forsström, and the curator of the exhibition is former Kiasma Museum Director Berndt Arell, who is currently Director of the Swedish Cultural Foundation in Finland. The exhibition will move to the Kuntsi Museum of Modern Art in Vaasa in the autumn.
The exhibition catalogue is available at the Kiasma online shop at www.kiasma.fi and at the Kiasma Store at a price of 18 euro.
The documentary film Ilya Glazunov the Artist, directed by Pavel Rusanov, will be shown at the Kiasma Theatre on Saturday 22 May at 1 pm. This 40-minute film depicting the USSR of the 1970s was first shown in Finland in 1977. It will be presented with Finnish commentary.
Additional information
Jari-Pekka Vanhala, +358 9 1733 6517
jari-pekka.vanhala@kiasma.fi
Kiasma communications
Merja Kukkonen
merja.kukkonen@kiasma.fi, +358 9 1733 6507, +358 40 1637 352
Image: Ilja Glazunov, Urho Kekkonen, 1973 (detail). Photo: VTM/KKA, Henri Tuomi
Kiasma
Mannerheiminaukio 2, Helsinki
Kiasma is open Tue: 10-17, Wed-Fri: 10-20.30
Sat-Sun: 10-18
Closed on Mondays
Tickets 8e/6e
Under 18 year-olds free.
Free admission on the first Wednesday of the month at 5-8 pm.