Modern classics: Elga Sesemann

Elga Sesemann’s (1922–2007) life story is an exceptional and interesting example of a professional woman artist making a career for herself in Finland. The artist’s very first solo exhibition in Helsinki, in 1945, already drew the attention of critics and the art audience to her expressive style. Sesemann’s artistic oeuvre is extensive, and she enjoyed an active career, with her expression constantly evolving, until the mid-1990s.

Although Sesemann participated in almost one hundred exhibitions during her life, it is only in recent years that her work has seen a resurgence in art research and exhibitions. Works that were once considered startlingly modernist have found favour with today’s audiences, and they deserve to be seen and incorporated into modern-era Finnish art history. In the 2000s, among Finnish art museums, the Ateneum and Tampere Art Museum, in particular, have showcased Sesemann’s works in their exhibitions.

The exhibition of Elga Sesemann’s work is the first research-based artist monograph to be shown in Finland. The exhibition is curated by the chief curator at the Ateneum, Anu Utriainen.