Leena Luostarinen

Leena Luostarinen (1949–2013) was one of Finland’s most significant contemporary artists. She made her breakthrough in the early 1980s, at a time when postmodernism was transforming the art world and Finnish art was increasingly shaped by new ideas emerging from Europe and the United States. Luostarinen is especially known for her signature images of reclining big cats. Her monumental, colour-saturated paintings are rich in symbolism, drawing on Chinese and Egyptian cultures, motifs inspired by her extensive travels, and private, hidden messages.