Finland Guide
Helsinki and the south
Cygnaeus Gallery
Opening time: Wed 11am–7pm, Thurs– Sun 11am–4pm
Price: €4
Website: www.nba.fi
Address: Kallionlinnantie 8
Frederik Cygnaeus, art patron and professor of aesthetics at Helsinki University, built a summer house in 1860, a lovely yellow-turreted affair, and filled it with an outstanding collection of art. Later he donated the lot to the nation and today it's displayed as the Cygnaeus Gallery. Everything is beautifully laid out in the tiny rooms of the house, with whole walls of work by the most influential of his contemporaries. The von Wright brothers (Ferdinand, Magnus and Wilhelm) are responsible for the most touching pieces – the bird and nature studies. Look out, too, for a strange portrait of Cygnaeus by Ekman, showing the man sprouting sinister wings from under his chin.