Reidar Särestöniemi 100 years

14 May 2025 will mark the centenary of Reidar Särestöniemi’s birth.

Marie-Louise and Gunnar Didrichsen, founders of the Didrichsen Art Museum, visited Reidar Särestöniemi for the first time in 1968 in Särestö, Kittilä. Särestöniemi's intensely colourful, distinctive art appealed to them, and in the years that followed they bought several works from the artist. The Didrichsen Art Museum organised solo exhibitions with the artist in 1970, 1973, 1975 and 1978. The museum also held a memorial exhibition of Särestöniemi in 1981 and solo exhibitions in 1995 and 2010.

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In addition to works from the Didrichsen collection, the exhibition includes works from private and museum collections in Finland. The main theme of the exhibition is Särestöniemi's special connection with nature, a strong identification with the surrounding environment reflected in his art. He expressed this in his works with a distinctive imagery and an imaginative treatment of material and colour. For Särestöniemi, working from Lapland was essential – a decision that in many ways shaped his entire career.

Didrichsen Art Museum

8.2.–1.6.2025