Albert Edelfelt

The Pioneer of Finnish Painting

After the retrospectives devoted to Swedish painters Carl Larsson and Anders Zorn, and The Golden Age of Danish Painting, the Petit Palais continues its exploration of Scandinavian artists. This new exhibition, organised jointly with the Ateneum in Helsinki, is devoted to Albert Edelfelt (1854-1905), one of the pioneers of Finnish painting.

Edelfelt, like many artists of the time, travelled to Paris to launch his career and ended up settling there. His style, a blend of impressionism and realism, soon attracted attention. His portrait of Louis Pasteur, in particular, was acclaimed at the 1866 Salon and led to a certain success.

At the same time, he went back to Finland every summer, where he expressed his love for his country and its landscapes in large, sensitive compositions. He was a great patriot and used his fame in the fight for his country's independence from the influence of all-powerful Russia.

This first Parisian retrospective will probably see a return to favour in France of a great painter whose popularity has never waned in any of the Nordic countries.

Curators :

Anne-Charlotte Cathelineau, head curator, 15^th-18^th century prints, drawings & books at the Petit Palais.

Anne Maria Pennonen and Hanne Selkokari, curators at the Ateneum, Helsinki.

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