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Art Nouveau in Helsinki
Art Nouveau in Helsinki
Did you know Helsinki has one of Europe's largest collections of Art Nouveau ("Jugendstil")?
It boasts having the most Art Nouveau/Jugend buildings in Northern Europe with over 600 buildings characterised by national romantic motifs like granite, folklore creatures, and nature-inspired designs.
This film by HENI Talks on Art Nouveau, explores Jugendstil – Finland’s version of Art Nouveau – a movement that turned ordinary buildings into complete works of art and helped a young nation find its voice.
Walking through Katajanokka’s castle-like apartment blocks, the Pohjola Insurance Building, studio-home Vitrésk, the National Museum, theatre and bank interiors, Kallio Church and Helsinki Central Station, we see how architects fused: – wild Nordic nature and the Kalevala myths – granite, wood, stained glass and mural painting – political hope, national pride and everyday life
From stone monsters and stylised forests to towering churches and the lantern bearers of the railway station, Jugendstil in Helsinki becomes a total work of art – architecture, design and storytelling woven together.
Time Period:
20th century
Themes:
Professor Paul Greenhalgh is a specialist on the art and design of the Modern period. He has written widely on Art Nouveau and curated several exhibitions including the major survey Art Nouveau 1890-1914, which toured internationally (2000-01). His books include Ephemeral Vistas (1988), Modernism in Design (1990), Art Nouveau 1890–1914 (2000), The Modern Ideal (2005), Fair World (2011), L’Art Nouveau: La Revolution Decorative (2013), Ceramic Art and Civilisation (2021) and Pablo Picasso: The Legacy of Youth (2022). He has held positions as Head of Research at the V&A Museum, London; President and Director at the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington DC; Director of the Sainsbury Centre, Norwich; and Inaugural Director of the Zaha Hadid Foundation, London. He was born and raised in Bolton, and is a proud Lancastrian.
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