Anniversary Exhibition Free 90 | HAM
Detail from Elga Sesemann’s work Self-Portrait with Yellow Pot, 1943. Photo: HAM/Hanna Kukorelli
Born of Vision: A Trailblazing Woman Behind the Free Art School
Maire Gullichsen was a true force and reformer in the art world of her time.
The Free Art School in Helsinki was founded in 1935 at the initiative of Maire Gullichsen (née Ahlström). She studied at the school herself and later served as its director for many years. Educated in France, Gullichsen (1907–1990) was a visionary patron and cultural reformer. As the daughter of the Ahlström industrial family, she had the financial means — but also the will and determination — to bring about significant change in the Finnish art scene.
Gullichsen was one of the founders of Artek, and the Pori Art Museum was later established around her personal art collection. Among the many influential women artists and cultural figures who studied at the Free Art School are Tove Jansson, Sigrid Schauman, Raili Tang, Eija-Liisa Ahtila, and Mari Sunna.
Image source: Photographer unknown / Kuvasiskot Studio / Finnish Heritage Agency, CC BY 4.0
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