Ateneum Art Museum

The Ateneum opened in 1888 in a neo-Renaissance building facing the railway station, and it holds the main national collection of Finnish art, covering roughly the period from the early nineteenth century to the middle of the twentieth. The strength is the golden age around 1900: Akseli Gallen-Kallela's scenes from the Kalevala, Hugo Simberg's wounded angel, Helene Schjerfbeck's self-portraits worked down over decades, Albert Edelfelt, Eero Jarnefelt and the painters who defined how Finland pictured itself. A smaller international collection includes work by Van Gogh, Chagall and Cezanne. Displays are rehung regularly and temporary exhibitions occupy part of the building.

What you actually see

• Gallen-Kallela's Kalevala paintings - the national epic in the golden age gallery.
• Simberg's wounded angel - one of the best-known Finnish paintings.
• Schjerfbeck self-portraits - the sequence worked over her lifetime.
• The international rooms - Van Gogh, Chagall and Cezanne among others.

When to go

Year round. Two to three hours. Closed Mondays. Late opening on some evenings is the quietest time. Book online for major temporary exhibitions.

Honest expectations

The collection is rehung often, so a specific painting may not be up. Temporary exhibitions carry separate tickets and queue. The building is busy at weekends. Labelling is good but the galleries are dense.

Nearby

Kiasma is across the square; the central station is opposite.