Old exhibition invitation cards.
Kaj Forsblom at the opening of his first gallery, gallery Grafiart in Turku, on November 17, 1977.
Galerie Forsblom is celebrating its 45th anniversary!
Galerie Forsblom, founded in Turku in 1977, celebrates its anniversary on November 17, 2022. The gallery's 45-year history includes numerous great exhibitions, unforgettable encounters with artists and collectors, and many art fairs. Galerie Forsblom moved from Turku to Helsinki in 1983, after which the gallery has operated in several locations in Helsinki, among others on Bulevard, Yrjönkatu, and North Esplanade. In addition, Galerie Forsblom has had galleries abroad in Zurich, Switzerland, 1992–1996, Caracas, Venezuela, 1995–1996, and Stockholm, Sweden, 2017–2020. Galerie Forsblom has been operating in its current location in Helsinki at the corner of Yrjönkatu 22 and Lönnrotinkatu 5 since 2011.
The Helsinki gallery was opened with an exhibition featuring Jim Dine in 1983 on Bulevard 22. Then, in the late 1980s, Forsblom brought a line-up of Pop Art pioneers to Finland: Robert Rauschenberg exhibited his paintings in 1987, and in 1988 the gallery hosted a group exhibition of artists represented by the legendary gallerist Leo Castelli. The show, titled Celebrating Leo Castelli and Pop Art, included paintings, sculptures, and works on paper by major pop artists, Jasper Johns, Roy Lichtenstein, Claes Oldenburg, Robert Rauchenberg, James Rosenquist, and Andy Warhol.
The line-up of artists featured at the gallery has expanded over the years. The list includes international artists Eduardo Chillida, Jannis Kounellis, Allen Jones, A.R. Penck, Terry Winter, Niki de Saint Phalle, Antonio Saura, Markus Lüpertz, Jacob Hashimoto, Manolo Valdés, Günther Förg, Per Kirkeby, Antoni Tàpies, Bernar Venet, Julian Schnabel, Donald Sultan, Donald Baechler, Ron Gorchov, Peter Halley, Mariko Mori, Secundino Hernández, Tony Oursler, Jason Martin, Chantal Joffe, Emanuel Seitz, Anna Fasshauer, and Ai Weiwei, among others.
The gallery has worked with many artists over decades, spurring various spin-off projects. An example was Jacob Hashimoto's summer exhibition in 2017 at the Wäinö Aaltonen Art Museum in Turku. Galerie Forsblom has also worked hard to raise the visibility of Finnish art by participating actively in many international art fairs every year. The gallery has, from the very beginning, presented established domestic art to local and international audiences.
