Independent Finland: Gallen-Kallela and his Nordic Contemporaries is a mixed selling and loan exhibition curated by art consultant Anna Grundberg, assisted by dealer and adviser Adrian Biddell.
The show at Gallery 8 in Duke Street coincides with the exhibition at London’s National Gallery devoted to Akseli Gallen-Kallela titled Lake Keitele: A Vision of Finland that opened last Wednesday.
It also runs parallel with Finland 100 – a group of the events being staged to mark the centenary of Finnish independence from Russia (the actual date of the centenary is December 6).
The exhibition in Duke Street features some 50 works, of which around 30 are for sale with prices ranging from £3000-400,000. It includes examples by Akseli Gallen-Kallela, Helene Schjerfbeck, Bruno Liljefors and Richard Bergh.
A private view was held last night and, on November 30, a talk on Nordic art will be given by MaryAnne Stevens, former curator of the Royal Academy.
Adrian Biddell and Anna Grundberg.
Akseli Gallen-Kallela (1865-1931) is probably the leading name in modern Finnish painting and was one of the country's most ardent voices in support of independence. Biddell was previously head of Sotheby’s 19th century European paintings department when the auction house set a major record price for the artist – the premium-inclusive £325,250 for the 1915 painting Sunset Over Lake Ruovesi sold in 2012.
He was also involved in the sale of a Gallen-Kallela to the National Gallery in 1999.
Anna Grundberg previously worked for six years as associate director and head of research for the London art dealers Dickinson, as well as at the National Museum in Stockholm and auctioneers Christie’s.
Independent Finland: Gallen-Kallela and his Nordic Contemporaries runs until December 2 at Gallery 8, Duke Street, London SW1Y 6BN (10 am-6pm).
