Maire Gullichsen

Maire Eva Johanna Gullichsen (née Ahlström, later known as Gullichsen-Nyströmer; 24 June 1907, Noormarkku – 9 July 1990, Noormarkku) was a Finnish art patron, promoter of modernism and businesswoman. She was one of the most influential figures on the Finnish art scene from the 1930s onwards, contributing decisively to the breakthrough of modernism in Finnish visual art and design. She co-founded Artek together with Aino and Alvar Aalto, initiated the Free Art School in Helsinki, and established the foundation that became the basis for the Pori Art Museum.

Biography

Early life and education Gullichsen was the daughter of businessman Walter Ahlström and granddaughter of Antti Ahlström, one of the wealthiest men in 19th-century Finland.

She came into contact with contemporary art through her parents and their artistic circles. A formative influence was her encounter with the work of Magnus Enckell, whose use of colour shaped her approach to collecting. She left school early and studied art in Helsinki, including at the Ateneum, before travelling to Paris in 1925. There she studied under several artists; in 1927 she lived together with painter Ethel Thesleff and studied at private academies. Her studies culminated in Fernand Léger's studio, giving her a deep familiarity with Léger's and Matisse's work.

Promoting modernism After returning to Finland, Gullichsen married economist Harry Gullichsen in 1928. He worked at A. Ahlström Ab and was supportive of his wife's progressive cultural interests. Gullichsen became a central figure in the Swedish-speaking, culturally radical circles in Helsinki, and deliberately distanced herself from her conservative background. After her father's death in 1931 she gained greater financial independence, enabling several progressive cultural projects.

Pori Art Museum From the late 1960s Gullichsen worked to establish an art museum in Pori. The Maire Gullichsen Art Foundation was created in 1971, and the Pori Art Museum was inaugurated in 1981, housed in a restored warehouse designed by her son, architect Kristian Gullichsen. The collection focuses primarily on Finnish art from around 1900 to the 1980s, with an emphasis on abstract art.

Family Maire and Harry Gullichsen (1902–1954) had three children: architect Kristian Gullichsen (1932–2021), professor and former Olympic sailor Johan Gullichsen (born 1936), and philosopher and professor Lilli Alanen (1941–2021) of Uppsala University. After Harry Gullichsen's death in 1954, Maire Gullichsen married Captain Bertil C. Nyströmer in 1969. Alvar Gullichsen is a grandson and Ronja Stanley a great-granddaughter.