Beloved in Nordic countries for her highly original style, Finnish painter Helene Schjerfbeck (1862–1946) is relatively unknown to the rest of the world. The New York Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Seeing Silence: The Paintings of Helene Schjerfbeck will be the first major exhibition in the United States dedicated to the artist’s work.
Featuring nearly 60 works on canvas – including generous loans from the Finnish National Gallery/Ateneum Art Museum, other Finnish museums, and private collections in Finland and Sweden – the exhibition will be on view from December 5th, 2025, to April 5th, 2026 at The Met Fifth Avenue, Gallery 964.
Helene Schjerfbeck, Fête Juive; Sukkot; Feast of Tabernacles, 1883, Oil on canvas, Villa Gyllenberg, Signe and Ane Gyllenberg Foundation, Helsinki
Born in Helsinki, Schjerfbeck witnessed civil war and two World Wars as well as the burgeoning of Finland’s national identity following independence from Russian rule in 1917. Despite many personal hardships, Schjerfbeck never wavered in her determination to pursue her passion, painting for most of her life in a remote Nordic country, far removed from Europe’s centers of cultural upheaval and renewal. Sheonce said resolutely, “All that I desire to do is to paint….there is always something to conquer.”
Visibility
This exhibition was organised by The Metropolitan Museum of Art in collaboration with the Finnish National Gallery/Ateneum Art Museum. “Seeing Silence highlights the work of an extraordinary artist who, though long celebrated in Norway and Sweden as the most outstanding female painter of her time, has not yet achieved well-deserved visibility on this side of the Atlantic,” said Max Hollein, The Met’s Marina Kellen French Director and Chief Executive Officer. “The exhibition invites audiences here to experience Helene Schjerfbeck’s mesmerising works and distinctive vision for the first time at a major U.S. museum, showcasing the remarkable perspective and introspection of an artist wholly dedicated to her craft over the course of eight decades.”
The exhibition is made possible by Elsa A. Brule.
A fully illustrated catalogue will accompany the exhibition and be available for purchase from The Met Store. The Met will host a variety of exhibition-related educational and public programs to be announced at a later date. The exhibition is featured on The Met website, as well as on social media.
See also: Joana Vasconcelos and Château Mouton Rothschild
