Rakel's Salon

The salon, decorated in the spirit of the 1920s, features Rakel Kansanen's collection from the early 20th century. In the salon you can sit down to browse art books and spend time surrounded by painintgs of Ilmari Aalto and Tyko Sallinen, for example. The exhibition serves as a permanent overview of the treasures in the Kansanen collection, and the exhibition combines public work and events around visual art.

Lyyli Elisabeth Kansanen, or Rakel Kansanen (1888-1949), born in Leppävirta, amassed a unique collection of art during her lifetime. In 1947, she bequeathed 14 works from her art collection to Varkaus market town in memory of her father, Pekka Kansanen. The collection was later completed by Rakel Kansanen's relatives, including Eli Toivola, the wife of Rakel's son Joel Toivola.