Erna Aaltonen
Form, surface and color are the guiding principles of Finnish artist Erna Aaltonen (b. Loimaa, 1951), who was introduced to ceramics in 1981, while studying with Heikki Jylhä-Vuorio at the Kuopio Academy of Design. She chose to devote herself fully to ceramics in 1986. After completing her apprenticeship at the Arabia Porcelain Factory Colour Laboratory in Helsinki, Erna Aaltonen went on to work as an assistant to artists such as Kati Tuominen-Niittylä, Jun Kaneko and Howard Smith, with whom she later founded the Arteos studio in Tervakoski in 1988.
In 1996, the artist took a decisive step. That year, she set up her own workshop in Fiskars, a former blacksmiths’ village nestled in the heart of nature, about an hour from Helsinki, where other creators, craftsmen and designers also made their homes. It is here that she has developped a collection of unique pieces forming a coherent body of work.
A true family of works, their forms—round, but also oblong or ovoid—are endlessly varied in a beautiful range of size and hues. These colourful Spheres, open at the top like the narrow neck of a vase or the stalk of a fruit, are undoubtedly among the ceramicist's most emblematic creations. In addition to Spheres, the artist’s affinity for curves also led her to create Monolith sculptures, more abstract in nature, with more irregular and complex forms, yet consistently characterised by great delicacy.
Erna Aaltonen gained international recognition for her ceramic work in the 2000s.
Galerie de l'Ancienne Poste has represented the artist exclusively in France since 2015.
Public and private collections
- La Piscine, André Diligent Museum of Art and Industry, Roubaix, France
- Museum Bojmans van Beuningen, Rotterdam, Netherlands
- Fule International Ceramic Museums, Fuping, China
- Museum für die Sammlung Keramik International, Römhild, Germany
- Design Museum, Helsinki, Finland
- Hämeenlinna Art Museum, Finland
- Rovaniemi Art Museum, Finland
- Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation, Finland
- Höganäs Museum, Sweden
- Sweden Arabia Museum, Helsinki, Finlande
- Pyynikinlinna, Tampere, Finland
- National Art Collection, Finland
- National Art Collection, Sweden
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs from Finland
- Nordic Investment Bank, Helsinki, Finland
Solo exhibitions at the gallery
Erna Aaltonen – 2023 exhibition
Erna Aaltonen – Symphony of the Spheres
Erna Aaltonen – 2015 exhibition
Publications
Works
Main recent exhibitions
2026
“Matcha”, Lokal Gallery, Helsinki, Finlande
2024
Salon Art + Design 2024, J. Lohmann Gallery, New York, USA
Summer Group Show, Galerie de l'Ancienne Poste, Toucy, France
2023
“Œuvres récentes”, Galerie de l'Ancienne Poste, Toucy, France
2022
Family of Objects, Bojmans van Beuningen, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
“25 ans de la Galerie de l’Ancienne Poste”, Maison du Chanoine, Treigny, France
2021
Galerie Marianne Heller, Heidelberg, Germany
2020
“Carte blanche à la Galerie de l’Ancienne Poste”, Musée La Piscine, Roubaix, France
“Ensemble – Together”, Galerie de l'Ancienne Poste, Toucy, France
SOFA Chicago, USA with J.Lohmann Gallery (New York)
2019
“Céramique Contemporaine”, Maison des Arts de Châtillon, Hauts-de-Seine, France
2018
“Au-delà des Sphères”, Galerie de l'Ancienne Poste, Toucy, France
“About Clay”, curator for European Ceramic Art Exhibition, Onoma, Fiskars, Finland
2017
“Collective Design”, J. Lohmann Gallery, New York, USA
2016
Puls Contemporary Ceramics, Brussels, Belgium
2015
Galerie de l'Ancienne Poste, Toucy, France
Premio Faenza 59°, exhibition of the finalists, MIC Faenza, Italy
2014
Ceramics and Space, Contemporary Finnish Ceramics, Design Museum, Helsinki, Finland
Helsinki Fat Clay in Heidelberg, Gallery Marianne Heller, Germany
Bronda Art Gallery, Helsinki, Finland
Puls Contemporary Ceramics, Brussels, Belgium
2013
Premio Faenza 58°, finalists show, Museo Internationale delle Ceramiche, Faenza, Italy
2012
“Nostalgia”, solo show, Hedge Gallery, San Francisco, USA
IAC / International Academy of Ceramics, members show, Santa Fe, USA
Erna Aaltonen at the Maison des Arts de Chatillon in 2018
Erna Aaltonen at La Piscine museum in Roubaix in 2020
Erna Aaltonen at the Maison du Chanoine in 2022
