Magnus Enckell

The Finnish painter Magnus Enckell (1870–1925) was a stylistic shapeshifter who adapted to changing times but always retained his fierce originality. During his studies in Paris in the 1890s, he was enchanted by the Symbolist movement, whose adherents worshipped beauty and sought higher meaning through spirituality. From those early years Enckell retained a lifelong outlook of cosmopolitanism and a belief in the universality of art. In the early 20^th century he made a radical shift by adopting a luminous palette and more liberated style of brushwork. Enckell’s persona was intriguingly contradictory. He was known as a sociable, sophisticated man of the world and an influential luminary in Finnish artistic life. Despite his public visibility, he guarded his privacy and presented himself as an enigmatic figure even among his closest friends.

Gösta’s Little Art Library is series of publications produced by the Serlachius Fine Arts Foundation featuring Gösta Serlachius’s favourite artists and gems from his exquisite collection.