The Henna and Pertti Niemistö Collection of Contemporary Art
Henna and Pertti Niemistö
Master of Political Science Henna Niemistö (1933–2004) and commercial counsellor, Master of Laws Pertti Niemistö (1931–1999) were active operators in business life and especially in several starch companies. In the late 1970s they acquired the later-to-become leading Finnish manufacturer of diving instruments and wristop computers Suunto, which was in the family ownership until the early 1990s.
The Niemistös were keen followers of the art life. They started a collection of their own in the beginning of the 1960s. In 1990 they set up The Ars Fennica Art Foundation to promote the visual arts, to open up new international contacts for the Finnish art world, and to encourage artists in their creative work.
The Henna and Pertti Niemistö Collection of Contemporary Art was treasured at the Hämeenlinna Art Museum in 1995. The 450-piece collection consists of works by significant Finnish artists. It also contains Scandinavian and Baltic art. Ars Fennica award winners and candidates are well represented in the collection.
The Hämeenlinna Art Museum takes care of the preserving, researching and displaying of the collection, while its current owner, general manager Kari Niemistö, the son of Henna and Pertti Niemistö, together with his spouse general manager, Doctor of Medicine Leena Niemistö amasses the collection by annual acquisitions.
A Gallery for Contemporary Art since 1997
When Henna and Pertti Niemistö decided to relocate their collection of contemporary art to their former hometown Hämeenlinna, the city decided to renovate a fresh museum room out of the old red-brick granary, which is situated in the courtyard of the Art Museum. It was built in 1852 and designed by the premier achitect Ernst Bernhard Lohrmann. After its original function the building has first belonged to the military and then served as the warehouse of both the Art Museum and the Historical Museum.
The inauguration of this
Lohrmann Building - named after the designer - took place in the autumn of 1997. There is an exhibition put together from the Henna and Pertti Niemistö Collection of Contemporary Art on display in the building, and it also functions as a gallery for temporary exhibitions.
Viimeksi muokattu
20.10.2009
