Amos Rex

Amos Rex is an art museum named after the publisher and arts patron Amos Anderson and located in Lasipalatsi, on Mannerheimintie boulevard in Helsinki, Finland. It opened in 2018 and rapidly reached international popularity, attracting more than 10,000 visitors in a matter of weeks.[1]

Amos Rex
The museum emerges like bubbles from the underground
Map
Established2018 August 30 (30-08-2018)
LocationLasipalatsi, Helsinki, Finland
TypeArt Museum
DirectorKai Kartio
Websiteamosrex.fi/en/

History

In 2013, the museum announced plans to build a subterranean annex under the Lasipalatsi plaza, located near the museum's premises on Yrjönkatu. The annex was estimated to cost 50 million euros and to also use facilities above the ground in the Lasipalatsi building. The Helsinki City Board decided to reserve the plot for the museum in December 2013. The funding was provided by the Finnish-Swedish arts foundation Konstsamfundet.[2] The museum plan was unanimously approved by the Helsinki City Council in May 2014 and the new annex was scheduled to open in 2017.[3]

The new annex was designed by JKMM Architects, whose other works include the Turku Main Library and the Finnish pavilion at the 2010 Shanghai World Expo.[4][5]

The construction of the new museum started in January 2016[6] and it opened to the public in August 2018.[7]

Exhibitions

An immersive experience in the Massless exhibition by teamLab.

Massless, the first exhibition at the Amos Rex museum, was created by the Japanese collective teamLab. It consisted of a colourful, immersive interactive art exhibition. Viewers were encouraged to interact and explore with the surroundings, generating different visual results.

Amos Anderson Art Museum, 1965-2017

The Amos Anderson Art Museum (Finnish: Amos Andersonin taidemuseo, Swedish: Amos Andersons konstmuseum) is an art museum in Helsinki. It is the largest private art museum in Finland.[8] The museum is currently situated on Yrjönkatu, with a subterranean annex, known as Amos Rex, built beneath Lasipalatsi.

History

Amos Anderson (1878–1961), newspaper owner and founder of the museum

The museum was founded by Amos Anderson, the owner of the Swedish-language Hufvudstadsbladet newspaper and a patron of the arts. In 1913, Anderson commissioned architects W. G. Palmqvist and Einar Sjöström to design a building on Yrjönkatu. The building would function as both Anderson's private living quarters and office space for his businesses. After Anderson's death in 1961, the building was converted into a museum, which opened in 1965.[8] As of early 2019, Luckan, a Konstsamundet financed[9] center for Finland Swedish culture,[10] moved to the Yrjönkatu building previously used by the museum.[11]

Amos Anderson Art Museum
Amos Andersonin taidemuseo
Amos Andersons konstmuseum
Map
Established1965 (1965)
LocationHelsinki, Finland
Coordinates60°10′06″N 24°56′14″E / 60.16833°N 24.93722°E / 60.16833; 24.93722
TypeArt museum
DirectorKai Kartio
Websiteamosanderson.fi

Collections and exhibitions

The Amos Anderson Art Museum's collections include primarily 20th-century art, with some of the oldest works originally belonging to Amos Anderson's personal collection.[8] The museum has paintings by Francesco Bassano (Adoration of the Magi), Paul Signac, Louis Valtat, Roger Fry, Alfred Finch (View of Fiesöle), Ragnar Ekelund, Magnus Enckell, Eero Nelimarkka, Tyko Sallinen, Tove Jansson (Fantasy), and the Swedish painter Palm. In its acquisitions, the museum concentrates on contemporary art.[8]

The museum arranges 8–12 exhibitions a year.[8]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Amos Rex Museum Is Helsinki's New Homegrown Star". Retrieved 8 September 2018.
  2. ^ "New Amos Anderson Art Museum confirmed". Yle Uutiset. 17 December 2013. Retrieved 19 February 2014.
  3. ^ "Green light for new Amos Anderson Art Museum". Yle Uutiset. 22 May 2014. Retrieved 23 December 2014.
  4. ^ "Amos Anderson museum plans unveiled". Yle Uutiset. 20 January 2015. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
  5. ^ Frilander, Aino (21 January 2015). "Arkkitehtitoimisto JKMM". Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). Retrieved 21 January 2015.
  6. ^ Peltola, Satu-Lotta (12 January 2016). "Uudesta Amos Andersonin taidemuseosta Amos Rex". Yle Uutiset (in Finnish). Retrieved 13 January 2016.
  7. ^ "Sneak a peek at Helsinki's new subterranean museum Amos Rex". Yle Uutiset. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
  8. ^ a b c d e "Museum introduction". Amos Anderson Art Museum. Retrieved 19 February 2014.
  9. ^ "Welcome to Luckan!". Luckan (in Swedish). Retrieved 28 September 2019.
  10. ^ "Meet new people and help each other". www.helsinkitimes.fi. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
  11. ^ "Luckan vill vara mer än en biljettlucka – öppnar på nytt ställe i Helsingfors". www.hbl.fi. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
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