Helene Schjerfbeck (English)

► The Serlachius Museums in Mänttä, Finland, hold a substantial collection of artworks by Helene Schjerfbeck (1862–1946). The Museums’ founder, the leading Finnish industrialist Gösta Serlachius initially acquired works directly from the artist herself, with additions being made to the collection into the new millennium. This book sheds light on the stories behind this much-loved artist’s reductive portraits. Schjerfbeck’s models often came from her immediate circle – her favourite being her brother’s son. A separate category is formed by the depictions of men, in which Schjerfbeck transgressed the norms of masculine representation. Her powerful self-portraits form the core of her production. This book shows a stable, liberated phase in Schjerfbeck’s art.