Personae – Pictures of Personalities

Personae – Pictures of Personalities from the Art Collections of Åbo Akademi University Foundation

The exhibition Personae is a selection of portraits from the collections of Åbo Akademi University Foundation, Casa Haartman, Museum Ett Hem and Pro Artibus Foundation. Personae is a new version of an exhibition displayed in Gallery Elverket in spring 2025.

The exhibition features around 60 works from 40 artists from 1840s to 2010s. The selection of works covers the entire spectrum of portraits: medals, video portraits, busts, photographs, paintings and caricatures. 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. Actors during the Antiquity wore masks in theatre performances, letting the audience know that the wearer on stage was a comic or tragic figure.

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.

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

PhD Juha-Heikki Tihinen