Wäinö Aaltonen Museum of Art
Encyclopedia
Wäinö Aaltonen Museum of Art or WAM for short, is an art museum in central Turku
, Finland
dedicated especially to modern art
. The museum is located on the east bank of the Aura River
. The permanent exhibition is based on the art collection of City of Turku, which includes a large collection of works by Finnish artist and sculptor Wäinö Aaltonen
. Temporary exhibitions focus on Finnish and international modern art.
building was made by Wäinö Aaltonen's son Matti Aaltonen and his wife Irma Aaltonen, but Wäinö Aaltonen himself also played an active part in the planning. The Museum was officially opened on 17 September 1967.
The exhibition rooms of WAM have been designed to fully meet modern requirements. The architecture of the rooms is clean and well lit; natural light is generously provided through wide windows and numerous skylights. Inside the museum there is also a cafeteria and a shop.
. The Turku City Art Collection is supplemented by varied and quality art acquisitions done with an annual grant. The amount of acquisitions varies, but on average, during the 21st century, approximately 60 new works of art have been acquired annually. The art is purchased from exhibitions, directly from artists, and sometimes from private people as well. On some special occasions, commission art is acquired from artists or artist groups by using the collection's investment funds. The focuses of the Turku City Art Collection are on the art of Turku area, the art of Wäinö Aaltonen, and on three-dimensional art.
Art acquisitions and donations are decided on by the Museum Director and the Curator responsible for the collection. A final protocol of the Museum Director or a board proposition is prepared of every work of art that is acquired or made part of the collection, and they have to be approved by the Cultural Board.
Turku
Turku is a city situated on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River. It is located in the region of Finland Proper. It is believed that Turku came into existence during the end of the 13th century which makes it the oldest city in Finland...
, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
dedicated especially to modern art
Modern art
Modern art includes artistic works produced during the period extending roughly from the 1860s to the 1970s, and denotes the style and philosophy of the art produced during that era. The term is usually associated with art in which the traditions of the past have been thrown aside in a spirit of...
. The museum is located on the east bank of the Aura River
Aura River
The Aura River is a river in south-western Finland. Its sources are in the town of Oripää, and it flows through Pöytyä, Aura and Lieto before discharging into the Archipelago Sea in the middle of the city of Turku. The total length of the river is about , and it contains eleven rapids, the biggest...
. The permanent exhibition is based on the art collection of City of Turku, which includes a large collection of works by Finnish artist and sculptor Wäinö Aaltonen
Wäinö Aaltonen
Wäinö Valdemar Aaltonen was a Finnish artist and sculptor. The Chambers Biographical Dictionary describes him as "one of the leading Finnish sculptors".He was born to a tailor in the village of Marttila, Finland...
. Temporary exhibitions focus on Finnish and international modern art.
Museum building
In March 1964, the City Council of Turku approved the proposal to establish a museum dedicated to Wäinö Aaltonen, and Aaltonen himself signed an agreement donating a basic collection to the proposed museum. Construction started in October 1965. The drawings for the modernistModern architecture
Modern architecture is generally characterized by simplification of form and creation of ornament from the structure and theme of the building. It is a term applied to an overarching movement, with its exact definition and scope varying widely...
building was made by Wäinö Aaltonen's son Matti Aaltonen and his wife Irma Aaltonen, but Wäinö Aaltonen himself also played an active part in the planning. The Museum was officially opened on 17 September 1967.
The exhibition rooms of WAM have been designed to fully meet modern requirements. The architecture of the rooms is clean and well lit; natural light is generously provided through wide windows and numerous skylights. Inside the museum there is also a cafeteria and a shop.
Collection
The permanent exhibition of WAM is based on the art collection of the City of Turku, which includes a large collection of works by Finnish artist and sculptor Wäinö AaltonenWäinö Aaltonen
Wäinö Valdemar Aaltonen was a Finnish artist and sculptor. The Chambers Biographical Dictionary describes him as "one of the leading Finnish sculptors".He was born to a tailor in the village of Marttila, Finland...
. The Turku City Art Collection is supplemented by varied and quality art acquisitions done with an annual grant. The amount of acquisitions varies, but on average, during the 21st century, approximately 60 new works of art have been acquired annually. The art is purchased from exhibitions, directly from artists, and sometimes from private people as well. On some special occasions, commission art is acquired from artists or artist groups by using the collection's investment funds. The focuses of the Turku City Art Collection are on the art of Turku area, the art of Wäinö Aaltonen, and on three-dimensional art.
Art acquisitions and donations are decided on by the Museum Director and the Curator responsible for the collection. A final protocol of the Museum Director or a board proposition is prepared of every work of art that is acquired or made part of the collection, and they have to be approved by the Cultural Board.