Patrons evening preview: Helene Schjerfbeck
Tuesday 16 July 2019 7 - 8pm
The Gabrielle Jungels-Winkler Galleries, Burlington Gardens, Royal Academy of Arts
Free for Patrons, booking required.
Helene Schjerfbeck
Patrons have the first opportunity to discover the mesmerising paintings of Helene Schjerfbeck, one of Finland’s best-kept secrets, on a curator-led tour of the UK’s first major exhibition of her work.
Helene Schjerfbeck is a Finnish national icon. From her early naturalistic style – honed during her studies in France – to her highly abstracted self-portraits, this exhibition will present Schjerfbeck for the first time to UK audiences.
Through over 60 portraits, landscapes and still lifes, this long-overdue survey traces the evolution of her remarkable career. Among the highlights will be a sequence of self-portraits, which demonstrate Schjerfbeck’s lifelong fascination with the physical and psychological process of ageing. In the age of the selfie, her engagement with masks and masquerade – the superficial appearance we present to the world and what lies beneath – is more relevant than ever.
This curator led tour will give you a greater insight into the context of Schjerfbeck's work and reveal some of the highlights of the exhibition.
Exhibition organised by the Royal Academy of Arts, London, and the Ateneum Art Museum / Finnish National Gallery, Helsinki.