A Piece of Paris

Wilhelm Tilman Grommé settled in France in 1869, where he lived until his death in 1900. During his three decades in France, he worked as an artist at the Chateau Maisons-Laffitte, the castle he acquired in 1877. He also offered other artists the opportunity to work at his chateau. Grommé distinguished himself as a collector of both fine art and collectibles on his frequent travels in Europe and around the world.

Klaus Holma’s parents were the ambassadorial couple Alli and Harri Holma, who were posted at Finnish embassies in Central Europe from the 1930s to the 1950s. The years the family spent in Paris from 1933 to 1939 marked the heyday of their collecting. During their Paris years, Klaus Holma occupied himself with art history research. He completed his doctoral thesis in 1940 on the work of the French painter Jacques-Louis David (1748-1825).

Both Grommé and Holma were avid collectors of travel memorabilia and objets d’art. It is thanks to their dedication that the Lahti Historical Museum is now in possession of a captivating collection of Central European, Southern Mediterranean and Eastern Mediterranean artefacts of varied eras, including a selection of beautiful, blue-glazed ceramics.

The exhibition tells the story of the two collectors and the provenance of the artefacts now found in the museum’s collection. Grommé donated his collection to Vyborg Museum in the late 19th century, and these salvaged artefacts were later inherited by the Lahti Historical Museum. The Klaus Holma Memorial Collection was donated to the Lahti Historical Museum in the 1950s and 1960s by Alli Holma as a memorial tribute to her late son.

Although Grommé and Holma were not contemporaries, they had many things in common – not least their shared love of art. Paris held a special place in the hearts of both collectors.