The insides and outsides of Helsinki’s energetic art scene

Art lovers who know, know to not sleep on Helsinki. Finland’s capital is loaded with museums, galleries and walls covered with elaborate murals and graffiti. For the best of art on both the outside and inside, plan to visit the main attractions, like the Ateneum and Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma, then turn rudderless and wander around town to see what creativity you might stumble on. Finnish art, past and present ‘Girls Reading,’ a 1907 painting by Helene Schjerfbeck, is part of the Ateneum’s permanent collection (Image credit: Fine Art Images / Heritage Images via Getty Images) The Ateneum is the mother of all Finnish museums, providing a “crash course in the nation’s art,” Lonely Planet said. The museum houses a vast collection of 30,000 paintings, sculptures and other works, including pieces by Helene Schjerfbeck, Albert Edelfelt and Pekka Halonen. Though the museum boasts the world’s largest collection of Finnish art, Vincent Van Gogh is also part of the roster: His “Street in Auvers-sur-Oise” was acquired by the Ateneum in 1903. On the first Sunday of the month, guided tours are offered in English, Finnish, Swedish and Russian, offering insights into both the art and the museum’s “palatial” 1887 neo-Renaissance...