Art collections at University of Lapland
The artworks placed in the spaces of the university come from two main collections: the Kari Huhtamo Art Foundation’s collection, which was founded in 2005, and the State Art Commission’s collection. The University’s public artworks also include some works from Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation’s collection.
The Kari Huhtamo Art Foundation’s collection was established in 2005, and in accordance with the cooperation agreement made in the same year, the Foundation placed a total of 22 works by Kari Huhtamo across the indoor and outdoor public spaces of the University of Lapland’s campus. The collection is a significantly large public display of an individual artist’s work. The sculptures provide a comprehensive view of Huhtamo’s idiosyncratic modernism. The origins of Huhtamo’s form language can be traced to the natural landscapes of his childhood as well as international abstract art. It finds its expression in the cool finish and sharp cut characterizing his steel surfaces, the light and airy structures made of pipe and string, as well as multi-layered reliefs.
The Finnish State Art Commission is charged with acquiring works of art for Government properties and buildings in Government use, which contributes to cultural enrichment of the entire country. It holds one of Finland’s largest art collections, comprising more than 14,000 works representing different areas of visual art. The State Art Commission seeks to acquire works that are representative of the diversity of topical contemporary art.
Approximately fifty works from the State Art Commission’s collection are on display in the public spaces of the University of Lapland. The works date from the 1970s to the early 2000s.
The University of Lapland was founded in 1979, which makes it a relatively young university. Because the university has no long history, its operations are directed to the present, and its history is being made here and now through research, art and other activities. Both the campus architecture and the artworks placed amidst it are in line with the university’s orientation to the present. Construction of the university’s main building was completed in 1987 and the latest campus extension, the F-wing where the Faculty of Art and Design operates, was completed in 2006.
The Jenny and Antti Wihuri Art Foundation’s collection of Finnish contemporary art comprises nearly 3,500 works. The collection has been donated to the City of Rovaniemi and it is one of the most significant contemporary art collections in Finland. Next, we will look at two works from this collection. They have been placed in the University of Lapland in 2021 and they are on ongoing display.