Carolus Enckell passed away on Monday, 25 September 2017,
after a long struggle with illness.
Carolus Enckell (1945–2017) ranks among Finland’s leading exponents of Finnish modernism. His art drew inspiration both from philosophy such as Oriental symbolism, as well as the forms and colors of the pioneering constructivists. He discovered a universal language in color and form: geometrical shapes endowed his art with character, while color, in turn, infused it with a particular spirit.
Throughout his career Enckell won numerous awards, including the Pro Finlandia Medal in 2009. He was also a distinguished writer and art educator, having held long-term positions as dean and instructor at Helsinki’s Free Art School and as editor-in-chief of Taide, Finland’s leading art journal. From the late 1960s onward, he took part in numerous solo and group exhibitions both in Finland and around the world. The Sara Hildén Art Museum hosted an extensive retrospective of his work in 2016.
Galerie Forsblom fondly remembers Enckell as a warm, cultivated artist who always found time for an interesting conversation.
