Nationalmuseum Design in Stockholm bows out with Hundred years of Finnish design

The burgeoning of design and fine craft in Finland from 1900 to the present day will be the theme of the closing exhibition at Nationalmuseum Design, Nationalmuseum’s temporary space for design-related exhibitions in Stockholm. The exhibition Hundred Years of Finnish Design - From the Rafaela & Kaj Forsblom Collection opens June 20.

A private collection of designer artefacts and applied art will provide insights into innovation, technology, development and aesthetics in the years immediately before and especially after Finland’s declaration of independence in 1917. The exhibition of over 200 pieces by prominent Finnish designers and architects will be the most extensive public showing of the collection to date. Under the title Hundred Years of Finnish Design - From the Rafaela & Kaj Forsblom Collection, it will feature everything from original furniture by Eliel Saarinen to glassware and furnishings by Alvar Aalto to contemporary pieces by Ilkka Suppanen and Kristina Riska.

“Every piece in our collection has been lovingly chosen,” says Rafaela Seppälä. The collection of Finnish design and applied art began with a glass bottle byRistomatti Ratia given to Ms Seppälä as a Valentine’s Day gift in 1999 by her future husband Kaj Forsblom. From there, the collection grew to include glassware and other artefacts from the 1950s and 60s by Tapio Wirkkala, Aino Aalto, Timo Sarpaneva and Gunnel Nyman. Unsurprisingly, Alvar Aalto is also well represented through various iterations of his iconic Savoy vase, as well as cabinets, armchairs and tables designed for Paimio sanatorium.

A particular focus of the collection is works by the designer Paavo Tynell, who set up the Taito company in partnership with colleagues in 1918. Originally a manufacturer of everyday metal utensils, the company shifted its focus in the 1930s to light fittings, most of which were designed by Tynell. The company also worked alongside Alvar Aalto on all his major projects such as Paimio sanatorium, Vyborg public library and the Savoy restaurant in Helsinki. The exhibition will include several of Tynell’s unique light fittings in polished and perforated brass, on show outside Finland for the first time.

The Rafaela & Kaj Forsblom Collection continues to grow through new acquisitions of 20th-century artefacts and contemporary Finnish design and objets d’art. A key motivation in building the collection was a desire to prevent unique pieces of classic Finnish design from being scattered to all corners of the world. Unlike museum collections, the criteria for a private collection can be much freer and more subjective.

Having grown up in Finland’s embassies in Washington and Paris, where her father served as ambassador, Rafaela Seppälä has translated her childhood memories into a creative nostalgia that has produced a broad and diverse collection. Her passionate interest in Finnish design history is pervasive.

Along with Three Crowns—Made in Finland, this summer’s exhibition of antique Finnish silver at Läckö castle in Västergötland, Hundred Years of Finnish Design is Nationalmuseum’s contribution to Suomi Finland 100. This year-long programme of events around the world marks a century of Finnish independence as a nation where art, design, architecture and music play a prominent role in national life.

Nationalmuseum Design opened in February 2015 as a temporary exhibition space during the renovation of the Nationalmuseum building. Hundred Years of Finnish Design will be the final exhibition in the space, but the lessons learned here and the sharper focus on design will prove invaluable as Nationalmuseum prepares to reopen in its newly renovated home in autumn 2018.

A catalogue presenting the Forsblom collection in a contemporary context will be published to accompany the exhibition.

Curation and exhibition design
Antti Siltavuori and Barbro Kulvik

Hundred Years of Finnish Design — From the Rafaela & Kaj Forsblom Collection runs at Nationalmuseum Design, located inside Kulturhuset Stadsteatern in Stockholm, from 20 June to 29 October 2017.

Media contact
Lena Munther, Head of Communications Unit: press@nationalmuseum.se, +46 767 234632.