DIDRICHSEN ART MUSEUM
Didrichsen Art Museum is situated by the sea on Kuusisaari island in western Helsinki. Originally the building was used as the private home of the family Marie-Louise (1913–1988) and Gunnar Didrichsen (1903–1992). The Didrichsen Art Museum was constructed in two phases (1957 & 1964), and both sections of the building were designed by architect Viljo Revell.
The museum holds three exhibitions each year. The collection consists of around one thousand items, comprising Finnish and international twentieth-century art, as well as examples from ancient Asian and Latin American cultures. The museum is surrounded by a public sculpture park, which is always open.
VILLA DIDRICHSEN AND THE MUSEUM
The first section, Villa Didrichsen, was completed in 1957 and the museum wing was added seven years later, in 1964. The building represents Viljo Revell´s modernistic style with influences of concrete brutalism.
The art museum was opened to public in September 1965. The museum functioned in the beginning only in the extension but after the founders passed away, also the Villa was opened for visitors. During the first decades the museum was open only twice a week. In 1997 the activities at the museum increased and the opening hours were extended gradually to six days a week. In 2013–2014 a major renovation of the premises was carried out, with special emphasis on security, functionality and accessibility.
In recent years, the museum has received 50,000–70,000 visitors per year. The museum holds three exhibitions each year. The most popular exhibition has been Edvard Munch – The Dance of Life (2014–15), which received 70 000 visitors. In addition to the exhibition programme the museum is an active publicist and has produced numerous publications in conjunction to the exhibitions and the collections. The museum is administered by the Didrichsen Art Foundation, which was established by the Didrichsen couple in 1963.
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Video: Kaide Films