1865–1931

Akseli Gallen-Kallela

Akseli Gallen-Kallela was born in Pori, Finland, and studied in Helsinki and Paris. He is best known for paintings illustrating the Kalevala, the Finnish national epic, and became a central figure of Finnish national romanticism. He also worked in design, frescoes and printmaking, and painted the Finnish Pavilion frescoes for the 1900 Paris World's Fair. Our library includes his portraits of Maxim Gorky and Edvard Munch. He died in Stockholm in 1931.