Matti Nurminen: Untitled

Matti Nurminen, 1986.

The State Art Deposit Collection

Sculpture, birch. Height 185 cm.

Born in Rovaniemi in 1947, sculptor Matti Nurminen belongs to the generation of artists that have become known for their expression of form in the concretist tradition.  In the 2000s, Nurminen has also worked on figurative subjects. The secure and cool clarity of his works is indicative of seriousness and stability, but his works also give space for inventive and crisp humour – even biting societal critique.

Nurminen studied in the evening classes at the School of Industrial Art from 1969 to 1971, and in the School of the Fine Arts Academy of Finland from 1971 to 1975. He held his first solo exhibition in 1974 in Helsinki.

Matti Nurminen’s extensive oeuvre consists of medal art, miniature sculptures and monumental sculptures. He uses traditional materials such as stone, bronze and wood. Nurminen is also known for his public artworks. The door reliefs of the Rovaniemi Court of Appeal building are an example of his work.

The work Untitled from the State Art Commission’s collection brings to mind the letter T going for a walk – the viewer can feel its slow movement in very concrete terms. This is also a description that a child might come up with. Serious, stable, yet playful.