Albert Edelfelt (1854-1905) The Lights of Finland.

A lecture on the exhibition at the Petit Palais, Paris (until 10 July 2022)

with Chris Boïcos

In the last few years the Paris has organized in-depth retrospectives dedicated to the great Northern European painters of the 19th century, including Carl Larsson and Anders Zorn (Sweden), who have been seldom shown and are often little-known outside their native countries.

This season is the turn of the Finns: The Petit Palais is showcasing Albert Edelfelt (1854-1905) a Finnish painter trained in Paris who brought a sophisticated version of late 19c Realism and Impressionism to his homeland and the Musée Jacquemart-André is holding a major exhibition of the great Art Nouveau painter Akseli Gallen-Kallela.

Edelfelt was a staunch patriot who militated against the Russian dominance of his homeland. Portraits (notably that of Louis Pasteur), landscapes, visions of rural Finland and scenes of modern life are among the 100 works on show in this great exhibition organized in partnership with the Ateneum Museum in Helsinki.