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Vaasa Museums are seeking artworks by Elin Alfhild Nordlund and Eva Topelius Acke
Published: 9.10.2025
Vaasa Museums are preparing an exhibition about the Önningeby artist colony, which will highlight, among others, two intriguing artists from the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries: Elin Alfhild Nordlund (1861–1941) and Eva Topelius Acke (1855–1929). The museum is currently mapping the artists’ works in both private and public collections.
The museum’s exhibition team is hoping to receive information about the artworks, the careers of the two artists, and any images related to their body of work.
Eva Topelius Acke, born in Nykarleby, was the daughter of the writer Zacharias Topelius. She studied art in Helsinki, Stockholm, Copenhagen and St Petersburg. In 1883, she studied flower painting under the Danish artist Carl Möller, and in 1884 she explored watercolour techniques under the guidance of Luigi Prenazzi. She joined the Önningeby artist colony on Åland in 1887 and married the Swedish artist J.A.G. Acke in 1891. Although Eva Topelius Acke continued to paint, she placed her husband’s artistic career over her own.
Elin Alfhild Nordlund, who was born in Närpes, studied at the Turku Drawing School and continued her art education in Helsinki, Copenhagen and Paris. She trained under some of the most prominent artists of her time, including Peder Severin Krøyer, Julius Paulsen and Adolf von Becker. From 1889 onwards, she worked as a drawing teacher, and teaching became a central part of her life.
Take part in the mapping project
If you have any works, images or other information related to the art of Eva Topelius Acke or Elin Alfhild Nordlund, the exhibition team at Vaasa Museums would be grateful to hear from you. Information is being collected by Janna Sirén, Exhibition Curator (tel. 040 530 3285, janna.siren@vaasa.fi), and Maaria Salo, Head of Exhibitions (tel. 040 353 7377, maaria.salo@vaasa.fi).