Sakari Saarikivi

Sakari Saarikivi studied Fine Arts, especially graphic arts, in his youth and worked as an advertising illustrator. He became better known, however, as a scientist and popularizer of art history, especially modern art. In 1957, he received a doctorate in philosophy from the University of Helsinki with a thesis on the Finnish painter Hugo Simberg (1873-1917).

Saarikivi was head of the information department at the Finnish Academy of Art from 1958-67. He then became then professor of art history at the University of Jyväskylä and from 1969-77 curator of the Ateneum Art Museum in Helsinki. He had a great influence on the country’s visual arts, museum system, and art historical research for several decades. In 1961, he published Aikamme maalaustaide (Painting Art of Our Time), the first survey of modern art in Finnish. He also translated art-related literature from several languages into Finnish and frequently participated in public discussions about art.

Saarikivi’s parents were both Social Democratic members of the Finnish Parliament. His brother Orvo (1905-1970) was a film director.