 The Ateneum Art Museum is the national gallery of Finland. Its purpose is to care for, build up, study and present the most important art collection in Finland. Through its exhibitions and other activities, Ateneum promotes knowledge and appreciation of the visual arts and our cultural heritage.Even the Ateneum building itself, designed by architect Theodor Hijer and inaugurated in 1887, is something of a national monument. The largest collection of paintings and sculpture in Finland with Finnish masterpieces from the mid-18th to mid-20th centuries and Western art from around 1850 to 1950, plus changing exhibitions. The museum has a fine food caf and modern museum bookshop.The Ateneum is a major museum in Finland. It is located in the centre of Helsinki at the Rautatientori square opposite Helsinki Central Railway Station. It has the biggest collections of classical art in Finland. Previously the Ateneum building also housed the Finnish Academy of Fine Arts and University of Art and Design Helsinki. The Ateneum building is owned by Senate Properties the government real estate provider. There are more than 1,000 museums in Finland that cater to every conceivable interest. In Helsinki itself, the over 80 museums include the Ateneum, Finlands national gallery; the Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma, designed by American architect Steven Holl and the Design Museum just to mention a few. Here one will find Finland's golden age and modern masters, from Albert Edelfelt to Akseli Gallen-Kallela and Helene Schjerfbeck. The museum complex includes the Ateneum Hall and hosts a range of events and activities. Ateneum is part of the Finnish National Gallery.
 The International Council of Societies of Industrial Design (ICSID) designated Helsinki as the World Design Capital for the year 2012 on November 25th, 2009. The World Design Capital designation is conferred to one city at a time every two years for outstanding use of design as a tool for economic development, as well as social and cultural improvement. The first World Design Capital was Turin (Torino) of Italy in 2008. The World Design Capital for 2010 is Seoul, the capital of South Korea. The public information centre for the World Design Capital Helsinki 2012 theme year will be located on the beautiful Senate Square at Aleksanterinkatu 16. Helsinkis World Design Capital year 2012 will comprise a wide range of events and projects related to design and its manifestations. In 2012 Helsinki will also celebrate the 200th anniversary of becoming the capital of Finland, when the country was a grand duchy of the Russian Empire. The preliminary program for 2012 will be published in spring 2011. In choosing Helsinki, the World Design Capital selection jury highlighted Helsinkis use of Embedded Design, which has tied design in the city to innovation, creating global brands, such as Nokia, Kone and Marimekko; popular events, like the annual Helsinki Design Week; outstanding education and research institutions, such as the Aalto University School of Art and Design and world-renowned architects and designers such as Eliel Saarinen and Alvar Aalto. Helsinkis several architectural layers are typified by Nordic minimalism and refinement. Modernism, functionalism and the largest concentration of Art Nouveau buildings in Northern Europe make Helsinki a major city of architecture. The Design District in Helsinki is an area full of design and antique shops, fashion stores, museums, art galleries, restaurants and up-scale showrooms. Design is deeply rooted in Finnish culture. Finnish design first came to fame in the 1950s when new mass production methods and low cost materials gave rise to the Nordic design ideology of combining the seemingly contrasting qualities of beauty and function to create everyday objects that are accessible to all. In todays Helsinki, design manifests itself in many ways. The creative sector is re-shaping Helsinkis economy and enhancing the citizens quality of life. Design seen from a broad perspective in city planning, architecture, industrial design and service design plays an integral role in the development of Helsinki, city services and consumer products.
ANNOUNCEMENT: Our Editor has been invited to visit Museums and cultural sites in mainland China, Korea, Vietnam. Myanmar, Thailand (Siam), Singapore, Bali and mainland Indonesia, the Philippines, Cambodia, Laos, Nepal, Bhutan, Malaysia, Japan,Mongolia, Russia and now Finland. Because of the Editor's travel we will be posting many interesting articles from our archives, some of the BEST Articles and Art Images that appeared in your magazine during the past six plus (6+) years . . Enjoy. |
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