Alvar Aalto Museum, the Museum of Finnish Architecture, Design Museum, Helsinki Art Museum and the Finnish Museum of Photography are celebrating the 100th anniversary of Finland’s independence in 2017 with a unique exhibition project. The Modern Life! – Finnish Modernism and the International Dimension exhibition, a collaboration between the five museums, will be open to the public in Helsinki Art Museum from 3.3–30.7.2017.

Modern Life! – Finnish Modernism and the International Dimension showcases highlights of architecture, design, visual art and photography that contributed to the construction of a modern and international Finland between 1917 and 1968. It also shows how everyday life in the modern country was gradually shaped by visual art.

The exhibition showcases Alvar Aalto’s roles as architect, designer and urban planner. It also explores the success story of Finnish architecture, from Eliel Saarinen’s skyscraper that was never built to Toronto City Hall designed by Viljo Revell. It sheds light on the moment when Finnish Design became a household name and examines the ways in which art and urban planning have transformed the capital. Other highlights include works by the pioneers of Finnish photography and fine art, and the success of Finland at the New York and Montreal world fairs.