Revealing the portrait of President Niinistö in 2018
The portrait of Finland’s current President Sauli Niinistö was unveiled in the Presidential Room of the Government Palace in May 2018.
His portrait is a mosaic composed of one hundred partial works by one hundred younger-generation artists – graphic artists, sculptors, painters, video artists, performance artists and photographers – who are or have been active in Finland.
The artwork was commissioned by the Government, and President Niinistö himself made the choice for its practical realisation and producers. Produced by visual artists Atro Linnavirta and Anita Naukkarinen, the portrait was realised as collaborative artwork.
The idea for such artistic implementation goes back to 2012, when Sauli Niinistö as the newly elected President received a community art portrait as a visual congratulatory greeting. Inspired by it, and in the spirit of the ‘Together’ theme of Finland’s centenary year celebrations in 2017, the President then invited 100 artists to contribute to his portrait.
Authors of the portrait (alphabetic list)
Photos of the revelation ceremony (4 May 2018)