Personae – Pictures of Personalities

Pictures of Personalities from the Art Collections of Åbo Akademi University Foundation at the Sibelius Museum

Personae presents portraits from Åbo Akademi University Foundation’s art collection, as well as works from Casa Haartman, Museum Ett Hem, and the collections of Pro Artibus Foundation. Personae is a new version of Pro Artibus exhibition displayed in Gallery Elverket in spring 2025.

The exhibition features around 60 works from 40 artists, spanning from 1840s to 2010s. The selection of works covers the entire spectrum of portraits from medals to video portraits and busts to photographs – not to mention paintings and caricatures. The works include official portraits as well as artists’ self-portraits. The exhibition honours the tradition of the university portrait as one of the oldest forms of art collections. The tradition is alive and renewing, which can be seen in the newest acquisitions of Åbo Akademi University Foundation.

The name of the exhibition comes from the Latin word persona, originally referred to a mask worn by an actor. Even before the Ancient Romans, the Greeks wore masks in theatre performances, letting the audience know that the wearer on stage was a comic or tragic figure. The mask told them how the character and their behaviour were to be interpreted.

Today, personality is defined as a complex whole made up of thoughts, feelings, and behaviours. It is seen as being more or less permanent, but can also change. In our age worshipping individuality and pictures of oneself have become the path of self-expression for all. An exhibition depicting the history of the portrait adds understanding of our own time.

Both historical and contemporary artists have wondered how to depict a person as whole. How are they to capture the landscape of the mind and soul, and not restrict themselves solely to depicting facial features? Artists often portray themselves, their loved ones, or make commissioned works on personal themes. Self-portraits, portraits and personal themes vary a lot in style and manner of presentation. Official portraits are among the most formal works, while portraits of loved ones can be very intimate. On the other hand, an unexpected, seemingly personal feature can have a major effect in a portrait or self-portrait of a famous person.

Artists make self-portraits for several reasons. The subject is close and personal, besides which artistic work involves a personal quality, which also makes the question of selfhood and its various forms a tempting subject for depiction. A self-portrait is a depiction of artistry, either an identity or a role. What is an artist supposed to look like?

Official portraiture is considered the most traditional genre in portrait making and regrettably frequently the least interesting one. For many people, official portraits are only a forced way of keeping a tradition alive, and not a living art at all. But it can still be said that there is life in tradition, too, and a portrait is still both proof that a person lived and a depiction of them. This is the basis for the attraction exerted by old portraits: it is as if the person there were alive, even though they are dead and gone. A portrait muddles our concept of time, because the past comes concretely into the present moment and situation.

Portraits can show the person themselves, or some object or place associated with them. A group portrait can reflect the dynamics of its members or present them to the outside world. Sometimes, a portrait is propagandistic, while at other times it is like saying: They were here. In front of you is a personality, but what is the personality like?

Personae offers encounters with our contemporaries, but also acquaints you with historical personalities. Welcome to witness a human comedy the length of past centuries.

Text: PhD Juha-Heikki Tihinen
Picture: Edwin Lydén, Grupporträtt, 1907, ink drawing and wash, Åbo Akademi University Foundation’s collections

The exhibition is open 11.2.2026–31.5.2026. The exhibition has been produced by Åbo Akademi University Foundation and Pro Artibus Foundation.