Art Museum Collections

Helvi Hyvärinen: Pikkupeto (A Little Beast), 1972, bronze. Kajaani Art Museum Collection

Kajaani Art Museum Collection

Acquisitions by the art purchasing committee formed the basis of the collection

Kajaani Art Museum’s Collection was initiated in the early 1980s when a movement to collect Finnish contemporary art for the future museum began. A three-member art purchasing committee was set up by the city government. It was instructed to acquire art for the city that was of national significance and of high quality art-historically and expressively – thus creating the basis for a unified collection. When the art museum began its operations in 1993, acquisitions became its responsibility. Currently, the collection contains 905 works by around a hundred artists.

Significant works

The focus of the collection is on domestic art from the 1980s and 1990s. There are significant bodies of work from for instance Juhana Blomstedt, Carolus Enckell, Tapio Junno, Pauno Pohjolainen, Kain Tapper and Nina Terno. Representing notable artists from Kainuu are H. Ahtela, Helvi Hyvärinen, Matti Koskela, Jaakko Leppänen, Tuomo Lukkari and Kaarlo Mikkonen among others.

Donations from artists

In recent years the collection has mainly been augmented by donations, which in turn has increased the regional emphasis. For instance the donations of Ilkka Väät (b. 1955, Hyrynsalmi) in 2012 and 2018 increased the collection by 90 works.

Kajaani Art Museum’s Collection is on display in various temporary exhibitions (not on permanent view).

Riitta Uusitalo Comic Art Collection

In 2012 Riitta Uusitalo donated a collection which contains almost 600 comic art and illustration originals. It is a unique entity of comic art significant throughout the art museum field.

The Riitta Uusitalo Comic Art Collection is on display in various temporary exhibitions (not on permanent view).

Riitta Uusitalo’s illustration for the publication Grafiikkaopisto 1 (Graphic Art Academy 1). Publisher Alvar Aalto Museum, Luova grafiikka ry. 1990.

Riitta Uusitalo’s cartoon for a newspaper, 2003. Ink and felt pen.

Riitta Uusitalo’s cartoon Taide jäljittelee todellisuutta (Art mimics reality), 2003, ink.

Collection of the City of Kajaani

The works in the collection is on display in public settings including schools, day-care centres, offices and outside in the city parks.

Antti Maasalo, Tuuliportti: Ilon hetket (Gate of Wind: Moments of Joy), 1987. Placed at the roof of Kajaani Art Museum. Collection of the City of Kajaani

Pekka Kauhanen: Suuri Aika (Great Period), 1990, bronze. The monument of President Urho Kekkonen. Urho Kekkonen Park, Kirkkokatu 18.

Kajaani residents’ selections from the art museum’s collections

Kajaani Art Museum presents a temporary exhibition which changes monthly in the upstairs lobby. In this participatory art project, the works from the collections on display are chosen by the residents of Kajaani.

The art museum’s collections are explored by a diverse group – some selections of works are made by well-known locals and others by ordinary Kajaani residents. The museum displays the exhibition at the beginning of each month.