Hidden treasures – Open doors at the Old Banking House
The Old Banking House at Aleksanterinkatu 36B will open its doors to the public in the spirit of art, architecture and banking history on Sat 21 May and Fri–Sat 1–2 July 2022. The event will celebrate the 20th anniversary of Nordea Art Foundation Finland. On display will be 30 artworks from the foundation’s collection (e.g. Gallen-Kallela, Edelfelt, Favén, Halonen and Jansson), Art Nouveau design (Gesellius, Lindgren, Saarinen) and nostalgic banking memorabilia. The 120-year-old building, designed by architect Gustaf Nyström, is a work of art in itself. The protected building is not usually open to the public.
The establishment of Nordea Art Foundation Finland (former Art Foundation Merita) in 2002 was a social act and a demonstration of Nordea’s desire to support culture. The foundation was established to ensure that a nationally valuable art collection would remainin Finland.
The public will have an exceptional opportunity to explore Nordea Art Foundation Finland’s collection exhibition. The exhibition will present 30 artworks from beloved Finnish artists, such as Akseli Gallen-Kallela, Albert Edelfelt, Pekka Halonen, Antti Favén and Tove Jansson.
The pearl of the Bank Museum, which operates in the vault of the building, is the bank interior representative of early 20th-century Art Nouveau, designed by Herman Gesellius, Armas Lindgren and Eliel Saarinen. The interior also features details created by artists Alpo Sailo and Eric O. W. Ehrström. The Bank Museum also has a variety of nostalgic banking memorabilia on display, such as piggy banks, old advertisements and much more.
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Open doors at Aleksanterinkatu 36B on Sat 21 May and Fri–Sat 1–2 July 2022 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Entry by queueing. Free admission. The doors will be closed at 4 p.m.
