Tor Arne, Jani Hänninen, Elina Merenmies and Mari Sunna are featured in the newly opened Free Art School’s 90th anniversary exhibition at HAM Helsinki Art Museum. The exhibition presents the school’s 90-year history and its significance in the development of Finnish painting and modernism. Vapaa 90 (Free 90) is curated by Timo Valjakka and Satu Metsola, and features 60 artworks by 39 artists.
The Free Art School was founded in 1935 on the initiative of Maire Gullichsen to offer an alternative to academic art education. Modelled after the “free academies” of Paris, the Free Art School was a champion of modern painting in Finland from its very beginning. The history of the Free Art School and the artists who studied and taught there are approached through Leonard and Katarina Bäcksbacka’s collection, donated to the HAM and the City of Helsinki’s art collection.
The exhibition runs until 4 January 2026.
Image: Tor Arne, Painting (from the series Reconvalescentia), 1993. Photo: HAM/Hanna Kukorelli