Image: Rovaniemi Art Museum
The exhibition, on view at Rovaniemi Art Museum until 14 February 2027, brings together 190 works by 95 artists and includes collection classics, less frequently seen works and the most recent acquisitions. It opened in stages from 27 March 2026, with the opening ceremony for the full exhibition on 7 May.
The Wihuri Foundation collection had approximately 500 works when it arrived in 1986 and now contains nearly 4,000 works. It is one of the most significant collections of contemporary Finnish art.
As part of Rovaniemi Art Museum’s 40th-anniversary exhibition, 'Kunniavieraat' offers a cross-section of the shared history of the Wihuri Foundation collection and the museum, including a look back at the museum’s beginnings. The anniversary programme is centred on 'Kunniavieraat', a large exhibition assembled from the Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation collection that brings together works, memories and perspectives from the museum’s early years to the present.
The selection includes audience and museum-staff favourites from across the years alongside recent acquisitions. Young people from Rovaniemi involved in the Taideloikka project also participated in choosing the works. The works span from one made in 1944 to one made in 2025.
Curator Aira Huovinen and collection assistant Tino Rautiainen curated the exhibition. The museum celebrates its anniversary week in mid-October with a seminar on 15 October and a free-admission open day on Saturday 17 October. 'Kunniavieraat' brings together works, memories and perspectives from the museum’s beginnings to the present, and is framed as a tribute to the artists, the collection and the public that has made the works its own over the years.
