The heart of the Turku Art Museum is its art collection, which has developed over the course of more than a century. The collection is owned by Konstföreningen i Åbo – Turun Taideyhdistys ry (Turku Art Association), which also runs the museum. Over the years, the collection has become an important part of Finnish cultural heritage and is known especially for its works from the golden age of Finnish art, as well as Finnish surrealism and pop art. Self-portraits have also emerged as a prominent part of the collection, which currently comprises more than 7 600 works. Part of the collection is always on display in the changing exhibitions at the museum.

Donations have always been of vital importance to the Turku Art Museum collection. Nearly one-half of all artworks have been received as donations, and the collection currently includes 17 donor sub-collections. Among donors the Dahlström family occupies a special place: they donated the funds for the construction of the museum building, along with a large number of artworks. The museum also received a major donation from Lars Göran Johnsson in 2016. The still-growing collection consists of more than 500 works of contemporary and 20th century art. Another major contributor to the collection is Friends of Turku Art Museum, an association founded in 1985. It raises funds to augment the sub-collection that carries its name and to support the museum.

The collection policy at Turku Art Museum sets out the principles of acquisition and of the use and maintenance of the collection; it also governs practical measures.

The collection grows through acquisitions and donations. From the start, purchases have focused on contemporary art and key contemporary artists, a policy dictated by both the continuous expansion of the field of visual art and availability of resources. Older art is acquired as well, when it is of a high standard and has a link to the existing collection.

Under the policy, the criteria for acquisition and the acceptance of donations are that “the artwork is of high quality, is a meaningful representative of the art of its period, has a link to the existing collection and/or is deemed to contribute to the envisaged future profile of the collection”.

Ever since the museum was founded, acquisitions at Turku Art Museum have been geared towards topicality, and the principle holds to this day: the main focus is on Finnish artworks that in time will contribute to Finnish cultural heritage. The museum has always acquired works from its own exhibitions as well; the older art acquired by the museum tends to be from the early 20^th century, because they are still within our means financially. Older art is only purchased for a good reason and when funds are sufficient to do so.

Museum’s photo archive serves museum’s commercial partners and researchers. The archive contains mainly documentary material from the late 19th century to the present day. Publications rights are granted for works owned by the Turku Art Museum and other photos related to the museum’s history and activities.

Photos are delivered for one-time use. Any reuse must be agreed with the museum.

For more information, please contact Mia Haltia:
+358 50 400 3246 or mia.haltia@turuntaidemuseo.fi

Thanks to its old traditions the Turku Art Museum is one of the few museums whose collections give an overview to the whole history of Finnish art. The forming of Turku Art Museum’s collection began when its governing body the Turku Art Society was established in 1891. Currently the museum’s collection comprises around 7 600 works of art and part of the collection is continuously displayed. The collection is particularly famous for its old Finnish art, Surrealism and Pop Art.

Turku Art Museum lends works from its collection to institutions organizing exhibitions whose facilities and personnel are of high museum professional quality. All loan requests are considered on an individual basis and initial formal requests for the loan of specific works should be made in writing to the director Kari Immonen with a minimum of six months’ notice.

Director Kari Immonen

+358 40 6323 377 / +358 44 312 2256
kari.immonen@turuntaidemuseo.fi