Art collection
The Foundation of Finnish Business College sr owns more than 300 works of art, which are permanently deposited in the so called SLK building, which was built in 1978, and where the school operates.
Collection
The collection comprises, for example, the portraits of the principals and of the most prominent figures of the college painted during the more than 100 years of history of the college as well as paintings and miniature sculptures given to the college along the years.
The renovation completed in 1991 was celebrated with the acquisition Pekka Walliander’s magnificent painting ”Alkutila/kivi” (”Initial state / stone”), which hangs on the wall of the lobby. In the fall of 1997, the monumental sculpture by Vesa Toukomaa was unveiled in the inner yard of the school building. The name of the sculpture is ”Sadan vuoden kaupat” (”The Deal of a Century”).
The most common type of artwork is in the collection is the print. The idea to collect prints originated from the teachers of the educational institution. The teachers decided to use the funds they had obtained from a rummage sale, in the early spring of 1986, to liven up the visual appearance of the school building. In a short period time, impressive works by Outi Heiskanen, Juhani Linnovaara, and Ulla Rantanen, among others, were acquired.
The art enthusiasm of the teachers resonated with the members of the foundation. Counsellor of education (opetusneuvos) Raimo Harlio (principal 1982-1998) acquired an impressive collection of modern art for the foundation. The works collected by him also contain some unique works by Kimmo Kaivanto, among others, but the collection is mostly made up of modern prints. The majority of the most eminent graphic artists of the previous decades are represented in the collection. The most recent acquisitions are the large internationally recognized enamels by Aino Stranden-Sorvisto.
Counsellor of education Helena Varjus-Järvinen (principal 2001-2008) gave a new direction to the art collection, when the foundation decided to acquire a part of a large photograph collection by artist Rax Rinnekangas on Varjus-Järvinen’s initiative. The name of the collection, which contains large and impressive works, is “Spiritus Europaeus”. The collection has been on display in many of the most renowned art museums of the world, and now parts of it are deposited in the premises of the SLK building.
The significance of the art collection for the foundation is above all aesthetic and educational. The works of art accentuate the architecture of the school building, and their presence reminds the students and staff of Business College about the importance of art in the building process of a person’s world view.
