Collectors and artists

The Joensuu Art Museum is situated right in the town centre near the market square. The neo-Renaissance building, a former grammar school, was built in 1894 and designed by architect Theodor Decker.

The Joensuu Art Museum was founded in 1962 as a result of two significant donations to the town, namely the collections of Olavi Turtiainen and that of Arla Cederberg. Somewhat later the town also received the collection of Onni Okkonen in two lots (1964 and 1972). These three donations form the nucleus of the museum's collections.

The collection of Olavi Turtiainen (1906-1961), an apothecary from Joensuu, consists mainly of works by established Finnish artists of the 1950's. Turtiainen followed with interest the activities of a group of artists called Viiva ja väri (line and colour), e.g. Tapani Raittila, Helge Dahlman, Tuomas von Boehm, Per Stenius, Anitra Lucander. Outside this group, some other artists whose production had similiar esthetics also gained Turtiainen's favour, e.g. Aarre Heinonen, Sakari Tohka, Mikko Hovi. Turtiainen managed to supplement his collection with earlier Finnish art, too: The paintings Narcissus and Drinking Bacchante from Magnus Enckell's Symbolist period, Hugo Simberg's etchings, A.W.Finch's and Thesleff's paintings. Two Italian sculptors, Marino Marini and Giacomo Manzu, were also in Turtiainen's favour.

The donation of medical counsellor Hagar Vaher (1898-1982) supplemented in a harmonous way Olavi Turtiainen's collection. Vaher was a friend of Turtiainen and interested in the same kind of art.

Arla Cederberg's (1886-1961) collection is very elegant in tone and presents some, though fragmentary, examples of Finnish painting from the mid 19th century to the turn of this century. For example, represented in this lyrical collection are Werner Holmberg, R.W.Ekman, Magnus von Wright, Albert Edelfelt, Gunnar Berndtson, Berndt Lindholm, Hjalmar Munsterhjelm and Aukusti Uotila.

Professor Onni Okkonen's work as art historian clearly influenced his art acquistions. He said in one interview that the numerous works of art from different periods surrounding him at home gave him enthusiasm for his work and they focused attention on the periods in question. His collection of Antiguity contains Greek and Etruscan specimens, as well as Roman items from Hellenistic period. Central and Southern European pictorial and sculptural art from 14th century onwards forms a whole of its own. Okkonen's Chinese collection is a rarity in Finland, a versatile presentation of Chinese art. Most of this collection is from Tang period (AD 618-907). Represented in his Finnish collection are, for example, Wäinö Aaltonen, Juho Rissanen, Akseli Gallen-Kallela, Helene Schjerfbeck, Ellen Thesleff, Alvar Cawén, Tyko Sallinen and Erik Granfelt.

Painter Anitra Lucander, who is represented in Turtiainen's collection, donated in 1983 drawings and graphic art. Her Persian bowls supplemented well the Oriental carpets and silverwork belonging to Turtiainen's collection, as well as the Persian bowls in Okkonen's collection.

In 1984 Anna-Lisa and Arnold Glave from Malmö, Sweden, donated to the museum a wide collection of Oscar Parviainen's works. Along with the another donation five years later museum received almost the whole production of Parviainen. This donation was inspired by the fact that Parviainen's family came from Northern Carelia, and by Parviainen's commemorative exhibition held in Joensuu in 1980. A further contributing factor was the donators' wish that this graphic artist and painter, who died in Sweden and held only a couple of exhibitions during his lifetime, should not be forgotten.

In 1987 the museum received an interesting collection of Ina Colliander's production from her heirs. Ina Colliander is best-known as a graphic artist but this collection consists of oil paintings, drawings and drafts from the whole of her long artist's career. Russian Orthodoxy, which was near to Colliander's heart, has impressed its mark on most of these works.

In addition to the permanent exhibition, the museum arranges ten temporary exhibitions of Finnish or foreign art every year.