CEO
Föreningen Konstsamfundet r.f.
Finland
The owners of a commercial enterprise can – at a given time - resolve to update its strategy, change focus and direction. Actually it is the duty of the board and management to present alternatives to shareholders in this respect.
For a foundation or an endowment the purpose is fixed. We are both guided and constrained by the intent and purpose as defined by our founders. In Konstsamfundet’s case it is an individual. It takes a takes a strong will to both accumulate significant wealth and also to decide to donate it for a set purpose. In order to understand Konstsamfundet we have to consider Dr Amos Anderson.
Amos Andersons personality is elusive. Biographers have tried to describe the man, but capturing his most inner thoughts have proven an impossible task. This especially as he ordered his private correspondence destroyed at his death. Nevertheless, we have some idea of the contours visible to the outside. A self-made man building businesses. A ruthless businessman, not afraid of playing hard ball. A cosmopolite seeking international influences both in business and arts. A religious man, with a deep interest in mysticism. A patriot wanting to contribute to a bilingual young nation. A showman with big gestures and weakness for gold and glitter.
Amos Anderson and Konstsamfundet were, for the first twenty years, practically one and the same. Konstsamfundet was his alter ego, a Venetian mask to hide under, yet still aware that everyone knows who is behind it. A signature. An apparatus. A blank sheet of paper among many in a desk drawer. A self-made intended heir.
What is it like today? When Konstsamfundet looks at itself in the mirror in the morning, is it Amos Anderson who looks back? The honest answer is no. The heir itself is now more than 80 years old, and Amos Anderson died more than 60 years ago. Konstsamfundet has clearly taken on its own identity and lives in its own time. The memory of Anderson is still there, but no one now active in the association has personal memories of him.
Most of the concrete monetary funds that Amos Anderson bequeathed have now been largely converted into a new form.
Hufvudstadsbladet, the main Swedish language newspaper remains partially in the association’s possession. As well as a stake in Stockmann, the retail company Anderson invested in 1919. Both operate in industries that are undergoing major upheavals where Konstsamfundet has chosen to ally with industry experts in joint ventures.
The Forum quarter in Helsinki was developed in the eighties to be the palace of commerce that Amos Anderson and his chosen architect dreamed of and sketched out in the twenties, before the Wall Street crash. The sale of Forum has provided the bulk of the capital that is now a diversified international investment portfolio and forms the economic backbone of Konstsamfundet.
The Amos Anderson Art Museum shared a long-term residence with Dr Anderson at Yrjönkatu Street 27. For a few years now, the Amos Rex Museum has had its own building and a distinct identity of its own. Konstsamfundet is actively involved as an owner and developer of the entire Lasipalatsi block. The block is next door to the Forum quarter. It is hard to imagine that Amos himself did not think about the old barracks plot that lay dormant there after 1918.
Dr Andersons’ summer paradise, Söderlångvik, and the large estate around it, has recently been faithfully renovated. He would recognize himself in it. Although he might be surprised by some of the artwork choice, since most of Konstsamfundet’s art collection has been purchased after his death.
The pillars of Andersons ideals live on. Participating actively in building a better Finland. Transcending linguistic and political boundaries. Keeping the window open to the continent, and seeking new ideas. Daring to think big, daring to take the initiative. We do not see a contradiction in actively supporting the Swedish language culture and education in Finland, and these broader goals. A bilingual Finland is a better Finland.
In both Amos Rex and Söderlångvik, Konstsamfundet aims for quality that will earn respect both locally and internationally.
An institution cannot be a person, and does not have to. Amos Anderson’s emotional depths and heights were deeper and higher than Konstsamfundet’s. He had secrets that were known to few, while we who work at Konstsamfundet today have a professional relation to the foundation. It is an important part of our lives, but not all of it. Moreover, we are living in a time when we do not have to hide our innermost feelings under threat of fines and imprisonment.
That said, I dare to believe that we have retained some of Dr Anderson’s better character traits. At the same time, I sincerely hope that we have managed to rid ourselves of some of the less attractive facets. At the very least, we want to be more transparent and consistent. We have tens of experts in arts, culture and education advising us on grants. We also seek outside expert advice to guide us in terms of investment and allocation.
In order to secure the future Konstsamfundet has diversified its portfolio of seven hundred million euros internationally in different asset classes. We support arts, culture and vocational training with twelve million euros annually, over half of it directed to Amos Rex and Huvfudstadsbladet.