Book and Exhibition Trace How the Serlachius Family Built Mänttä’s Art Collection

A new book project and an accompanying permanent exhibition in Mänttä document the Serlachius family’s role as art patrons and the history of the museum’s collection. Finnish and English editions are due in 2026.

The project traces patronage back to G. A. Serlachius, who in the late 19th century supported young artists such as Akseli Gallen-Kallela and Emil Wikström. Gösta Serlachius established an art foundation in 1933 to safeguard a growing collection. Later family members R. Erik Serlachius and Gustaf Serlachius continued to expand the holdings now on display at the museum.

The main volume, Patrons – The Story Behind the Serlachius Art Collection, runs 136 pages and is edited and produced by Serlachius in partnership with publisher Parvs; it will be published in Finnish and English. A companion volume of Gösta Serlachius’s writings and speeches, edited by researcher Helena Hänninen with a foreword by museum director Pauli Sivonen, is scheduled for release in September 2026 to mark Gösta Serlachius’s 150th birthday.

The book sets the family’s support for artists in a wider historical frame, comparing regional patronage to traditions that stretch from the Medici to the Rockefellers. It also highlights how company patronage helped turn Mänttä into a prosperous industrial community and a cultural destination, noted in the 1950s and 1960s for visits by domestic and international dignitaries.

Mesenaatit, the exhibition accompanying the book, is now open permanently at Serlachius Pääkonttori in Mänttä. Curated by museum director Pauli Sivonen with visual design by Tarja Väätänen, the show presents archival displays, small recycled-wood models of the town and artefacts that illustrate the company’s civic and cultural legacy.