Iria Leino in 'Arcana Borealis' at Ateneum Art Museum in Helsinki

Two paintings by Iria Leino, Luscious Fruit (1968) and Murder (1967), are on view in Arcana Borealis: Northern Women and Esotericism at the Ateneum Art Museum in Helsinki. Arcana Borealis explores the connections between art, spirituality, nature and the unseen in the work of Northern women artists from the 19th century to the present. The exhibition is on view from October 23, 2026, to February 28, 2027.

Iria Leino (1932–2022) is a distinctive figure in Finnish art. After graduating from the School of Art and Design in 1955, she left her hometown of Helsinki for Paris, where she continued her studies at the École des Beaux-Arts. There, Leino worked as a model for Christian Dior and Pierre Balmain, among others. In 1964, she moved to New York and, two years later, settled in SoHo, where she devoted herself entirely to her artistic practice.

Spirituality was an integral part of Leino’s life and artistic practice. She practiced Buddhism, yoga and meditation, and regarded painting as a form of meditation, sometimes reciting mantras as she worked. In her work, Leino sought to preserve her Finnish heritage and connection to nature, fueled by her spiritual search. Although Leino was active within the New York art scene, it is clear she worked independently and largely outside the conventional gallery system. She rarely exhibited her work, instead immersing herself in her art and Buddhist practice.

Following her death in 2022, more than a thousand paintings were discovered in her SoHo loft. Her work is held in internationally significant collections, including the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, the New England Centre for Contemporary Art, and the UNICEF collections in the United States, as well as the collections of the Amos Anderson Art Fund and the Finnish National Gallery in Finland. Both paintings were acquired by the Finnish National Gallery in April 2025, following Iria Leino’s first exhibition in Finland since the artist’s death in 2022, held at Galerie Forsblom.

Artworks: Iria Leino: Luscious Fruit, 1968 174,5 × 169,5 cm, acrylic on canvas, acrylic, canvas Finnish National Gallery Collection / Ateneum Art Museum, Yrjö and Nanny Kaunisto Collection Iria Leino: Murder, 1967 185 × 184,5 cm, acrylic on canvas, acrylic, canvas, oil Finnish National Gallery Collection / Ateneum Art Museum, Yrjö and Nanny Kaunisto Collection Photos: Finnish National Gallery / Aleks Talve

November 4, 2026