In November, we celebrated a record number of visitors for the 21st century. The last time the museum’s visitor numbers exceeded thirty thousand was in 1996. Visitor numbers have been steadily increasing, and the proportion of Museum Card holders has also grown year by year.

The ambitious and forward-thinking exhibitions of this anniversary year have been popular with the public. The spring exhibition Aleksandra Ionowa – Visions of the Spirit World and Peace attracted nearly 13,000 visitors and sparked international interest. The summer exhibition I Want to Do Everything Myself! – Akseli Gallen-Kallela and Design drew almost 12,000 visitors to Tarvaspää.

The exhibition Primeval Forest – In the Footsteps of Pentti Linkola, created in collaboration with the Finnish Natural Heritage Foundation, has already attracted over 6,100 visitors. The exhibition is a tribute to Finnish forests, cultural heritage, and decades of nature conservation work. Primeval Forest and its accompanying programme will continue beyond the turn of the year until 1 February.

Big dreams and a diverse programme

During the anniversary year, the museum hosted a wide range of events, from guided tours and free admission days to concerts. The programme included, among others, the Mother’s Day concert from the series Maryn sormenjäljillä created by pianist Tiina Karakorpi. Concert was broadcast by Yleisradio and featured music from the sheet music collection preserved from pianist Mary Gallen-Kallela (1868–1947).

In the summer, the museum took part in SuomiAreena, Finland’s most significant social debate event, where discussions focused on the role of creativity, technology, and cultural heritage in shaping a new Finnish narrative.

A seminar marking the anniversary was held at Sello Library, exploring different phases of Gallen-Kallela’s career and the museum’s future plans. At the event, the Unelmien Tarvaspää (”Tarvaspää of our dreams”) project was announced – the most extensive development initiative in the 60-year history of the Gallen-Kallela Museum.

The Unelmien Tarvaspää project will renew the museum’s operations and services for the next hundred years. It honours Akseli Gallen-Kallela’s significant life’s work and realises his vision of Tarvaspää as a vibrant meeting place for art, nature, and people, weaving together history and modernity. If implemented, the estimated €10 million project will be a unique undertaking that secures the future of the Tarvaspää area and the museum. The goal is that by 2030, Tarvaspää in Espoo will offer a lively museum complex and cultural oasis serving a wide range of audiences and communities.

International Connections and Growing Interest

Growing visitor numbers, along with the increasing number of domestic and international exhibitions and loans, reflect the public’s interest in Akseli Gallen-Kallela and the Gallen-Kallela Museum. This autumn, the extensive exhibition Gallen-Kallela, Klimt & Vienna opened at the Ateneum Art Museum, Finnish National Gallery, highlighting Gallen-Kallela’s connections to European artistic circles and his role within the international modernist network. These new perspectives emphasise Gallen-Kallela’s global significance in the art world and as a subject of public interest.

We thank our partners and audiences for the past year and warmly welcome you to continue enjoying art with us!

To mark the end of the anniversary year, the museum will offer extended opening hours from Boxing Day to Epiphany, serving visitors Tuesday to Friday from 11 am to 6 pm.

Holiday opening times:

Closed 22–25 December 2025

26 December 2025 – 6 January 2026: Tue–Sun, 11 am–6 pm

If you have any questions, please contact our customer service emailing info@gallen-kallela.fi or call us during business hours +358 10 406 88 40.

Visiting address

Gallen-Kallelan tie 27,
Espoo, Finland