See the works of the Åland Islands' 1886-1914 artists' colony

02.11.2007

Painters in Önningeby

2.11.2007–27.1.2008 in Amos Anderson Art Museum

The Önningeby Colony, the only artists' colony in Finland, was active in 1886-1914 on the Åland Islands. The key figure of the colony was Victor Westerholm. This nearly forgotten group of artists' will be presented to the public for the first time in a large exhibition outside Åland. Along with Westerholm, the artists include Finnish painters Elin Danielson-Gambogi, Hanna Rönnberg and Elias Muukka. Swedish painters are represented by J.A.G. Acke, Ida Gisiko, Anna Wengberg and Edvard Westman. The artists who briefly visited the colony are innumerable. Among others, Fredrik Ahlstedt and his wife Nina painted in Önningeby in 1886. Ellen Favorin and Amélie Lundahl visited the colony in 1889. A selection from Estonian artists, the Noor-Eesti group, who visited Önningeby in 1889 is also included. The exhibition features almost 200 works of 22 artists from the collections of museums and companies as well as private collections.

The Önningeby artists were a part of a generation, which was influenced by contemporary French plein-air painting with impressionist undertones. Marines were a popular subject matter, as were landscapes and scenes from the Önningeby village, set in the summer season, but also occasionally during the cold winter months. Another source of inspiration were local peasants, which were portrayed with love and care. The main focus of the exhibition is on paintings with Åland motifs, however, some works from travels in Europe are also included, as well as a series of portraits the Önningeby artists painted of each other.

To accompany the exhibition, a book will be published by Amos Anderson Art Museum. The richly illustrated book, published separately in Swedish and Finnish, is written by Kjell Ekström.