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Amos Rex
Amos Rex is an independent, privately funded contemporary art museum named after the publisher and arts patron Amos Anderson and located in Lasipalatsi, on Mannerheimintie boulevard in Helsinki, Finland. It opened in 2018 and rapidly reached international popularity, attracting more than 10,000 visitors in a matter of weeks. It attracts about 250,000 visitors annually. The museum presents a dynamic programme of contemporary art, media art, and experimental installations.
The museum's first director was Kai Kartio, who led Amos Rex through its early years. In February 2024, Kieran Long was appointed the museum’s director and CEO.
Amos Rex traces its origins to Föreningen Konstsamfundet, an association founded in 1940 by Amos Anderson. Following Anderson’s passing in 1961, Konstsamfundet carried forward his vision of supporting the arts, founding the Amos Anderson Art Museum (1965–2017) in his former home and offices at Yrjönkatu 27 in Helsinki in 1965. The museum closed on 3 September 2017, and reopened as Amos Rex in its new location beneath Lasipalatsi Square in 2018. To honour both Anderson’s will and his legacy of supporting the arts, Konstsamfundet opened Amos Andersons Hem at the site of the Amos Anderson Art Museum in 2023. Konstsamfundet’s main purposes are to support arts and different fields of culture for the Swedish speaking Finns in the Finnish society.
The Amos Anderson Art Museum, established as a continuation of Amos Anderson’s legacy, played a significant role in promoting contemporary art in Finland. During the 1960s and 1970s, it was one of only two major museums dedicated primarily to contemporary art, alongside the Tampere Art Museum. Its collections and exhibitions reflected a commitment to supporting both Finnish and international artists, laying the groundwork for what would later evolve into Amos Rex.
By the early 2010s, the Amos Anderson Art Museum faced spatial limitations that restricted its ability to showcase large-scale contemporary art. In response, Konstsamfundet initiated plans to create a new, expanded museum. The transition from the Amos Anderson Art Museum to Amos Rex aimed to provide modern exhibition spaces while preserving Anderson’s legacy.
In 2013, the museum announced plans to build a subterranean annex under the Lasipalatsi plaza, located near the museum's premises on Yrjönkatu. The annex was estimated to cost 50 million euros and to also use facilities above the ground in the Lasipalatsi building. The Helsinki City Board decided to reserve the plot for the museum in December 2013. The funding was provided by the Finnish-Swedish arts foundation Konstsamfundet. The museum plan was unanimously approved by the Helsinki City Council in May 2014 and the new annex was scheduled to open in 2017.
The name Amos Rex was chosen to meet three key requirements: it had to reference Amos Anderson, connect to Lasipalatsi, and be short enough to require no translation. A fourth, more light-hearted criterion was that Anderson himself would approve of it from above.
The design of the new Amos Rex was conceptualised by JKMM Architects, whose other works include the Turku Main Library and the Finnish pavilion at the 2010 Shanghai World Expo. The goal was to create a space that blends modernity and heritage, with the new museum integrated beneath Lasipalatsi Square while respecting the historical significance of the Lasipalatsi building. The underground exhibition spaces, combined with the museum's innovative design, preserve the connection to the city’s architectural heritage while providing a flexible, modern space for contemporary art.
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Amos Rex
Amos Rex is an independent, privately funded contemporary art museum named after the publisher and arts patron Amos Anderson and located in Lasipalatsi, on Mannerheimintie boulevard in Helsinki, Finland. It opened in 2018 and rapidly reached international popularity, attracting more than 10,000 visitors in a matter of weeks. It attracts about 250,000 visitors annually. The museum presents a dynamic programme of contemporary art, media art, and experimental installations.
The museum's first director was Kai Kartio, who led Amos Rex through its early years. In February 2024, Kieran Long was appointed the museum’s director and CEO.
Amos Rex traces its origins to Föreningen Konstsamfundet, an association founded in 1940 by Amos Anderson. Following Anderson’s passing in 1961, Konstsamfundet carried forward his vision of supporting the arts, founding the Amos Anderson Art Museum (1965–2017) in his former home and offices at Yrjönkatu 27 in Helsinki in 1965. The museum closed on 3 September 2017, and reopened as Amos Rex in its new location beneath Lasipalatsi Square in 2018. To honour both Anderson’s will and his legacy of supporting the arts, Konstsamfundet opened Amos Andersons Hem at the site of the Amos Anderson Art Museum in 2023. Konstsamfundet’s main purposes are to support arts and different fields of culture for the Swedish speaking Finns in the Finnish society.
The Amos Anderson Art Museum, established as a continuation of Amos Anderson’s legacy, played a significant role in promoting contemporary art in Finland. During the 1960s and 1970s, it was one of only two major museums dedicated primarily to contemporary art, alongside the Tampere Art Museum. Its collections and exhibitions reflected a commitment to supporting both Finnish and international artists, laying the groundwork for what would later evolve into Amos Rex.
By the early 2010s, the Amos Anderson Art Museum faced spatial limitations that restricted its ability to showcase large-scale contemporary art. In response, Konstsamfundet initiated plans to create a new, expanded museum. The transition from the Amos Anderson Art Museum to Amos Rex aimed to provide modern exhibition spaces while preserving Anderson’s legacy.
In 2013, the museum announced plans to build a subterranean annex under the Lasipalatsi plaza, located near the museum's premises on Yrjönkatu. The annex was estimated to cost 50 million euros and to also use facilities above the ground in the Lasipalatsi building. The Helsinki City Board decided to reserve the plot for the museum in December 2013. The funding was provided by the Finnish-Swedish arts foundation Konstsamfundet. The museum plan was unanimously approved by the Helsinki City Council in May 2014 and the new annex was scheduled to open in 2017.
The name Amos Rex was chosen to meet three key requirements: it had to reference Amos Anderson, connect to Lasipalatsi, and be short enough to require no translation. A fourth, more light-hearted criterion was that Anderson himself would approve of it from above.
The design of the new Amos Rex was conceptualised by JKMM Architects, whose other works include the Turku Main Library and the Finnish pavilion at the 2010 Shanghai World Expo. The goal was to create a space that blends modernity and heritage, with the new museum integrated beneath Lasipalatsi Square while respecting the historical significance of the Lasipalatsi building. The underground exhibition spaces, combined with the museum's innovative design, preserve the connection to the city’s architectural heritage while providing a flexible, modern space for contemporary art.