The art exhibition arranged for the second time at the Bank of Finland last week, by popular request, attracted a total of approximately 4,100 visitors. A selection of works from the Bank's art collection was on view for six days, 16–21 August 2011.
The first of the exhibitions was arranged during the freezing weather of January 2011, attracting about 7,200 visitors over a five-day period. The art exhibitions are part of the events arranged in honour of the Bank's 200th anniversary, and also offered an opportunity for the public to view the Bank's Head Office, designed by Ludwig Bohnstedt and built in 1883.
The Bank of Finland owns an art collection numbering about 1,200 pieces in all. This collection has been gathered over the years, from the early 1900s onwards. The aim of the collection is to enhance the ambience of the Bank's working and meetings facilities. For visitors from abroad, the art works on display offer a window to Finnish culture and the nation's history.
One of the most renowned pieces in the Bank's collection is the first version of Akseli Gallen-Kallela's 'Aino' triptych, from 1889. Also on display are works by Werner Holmberg, Amélie Lundahl, Louis Sparre and Albert Edelfelt from Finland's so-called Golden Age of art. Industrial design in art is represented by the works of Rut Bryk, Birger Kaipiainen, Mikael Schilkin and Timo Sarpaneva. The most contemporary artists in the collection include Matti Kujasalo, Jukka Mäkelä and Mari Rantanen, whose abstract paintings are part of the Bank's collection. Also on display, this time, were the original architectural designs for the Head Office drawn by Ludwig Bohnstedt.