Seeing Silence: The Paintings of Helene Schjerfbeck

While she is a household name in the Nordic world, Finnish painter Helene Schjerfbeck (1862–1946) remains a hidden gem for many art lovers elsewhere. Despite facing personal hardships and living in quiet isolation for years, she created a stunning collection of work through pure passion and determination. This exhibition celebrates her as a true pioneer who deserves a central place in the story of modern art.

The exhibition follows Schjerfbeck’s journey from her early days at art school in Paris to her final years in Sweden. You’ll see her style evolve from traditional, realistic scenes into something beautifully simple and minimalist. In the early 1900s, using her mother and neighbors as models, she began to strip away the clutter, experimenting with bold colors and shapes to create a completely new visual language.

Seeing Silence: The Paintings of Helene Schjerfbeck marks the first time a major U.S. museum has dedicated an exhibition to her work. Featuring nearly 60 pieces—including special loans from the Finnish National Gallery / Ateneum Art Museum and private collections across Finland and Sweden—this show highlights Schjerfbeck’s unique and powerful voice in the history of modernism.