Born in Sysmä, Finland 1951 | Lives, and works in Sysmä, Finland

 

Through her masterful command of line, Marjatta Tapiola exquisitely captures life’s cruelty and carnal indulgences in her airy paintings. Their gamut of emotions swings from suffering to an intense sensuality that seems ready to burst into a wild dance any second. Fiery passion pumps in the veins of her red, orange, and purple color spectrum. Her signature motifs have become synonymous with her work throughout her career: animal skulls and ancient mythological figures such as the minotaurs and centaurs. Legendary for her superb command of line, Tapiola allows her brush to dance instinctively upon the surface of the canvas, invoking by turns the world of carnal indulgence and the more brutal realities of mortal flesh. Tapiola paints in tempera, an ancient technique dating back to the art of classical times. With the twists of her brush, Tapiola infuses her contemporary works with a sense of antiquity.

Marjatta Tapiola established her name in the 1980s as a leading Finnish proponent of neo-expressionism. She received the Pro Finlandia medal in 2004 and the Finnish State Art Prize in 2006. Her work is represented in leading Finnish museums, such as the Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma, the Sara Hildén Art Museum, and the Saastamoinen Foundation's collection.

 

Galerie Forsblom has been representing Marjatta Tapiola since 2018.