Timeline

(14.1.1877 – 15.10.1969)

Timeline of Axel Haartman’s life

Axel Haartman travelled a great deal and lived abroad in Florence, Rome and Paris on several occasions in his life. The Haartmans spent more than a year in Italy on their honeymoon in 1898–1900. He worked as an illustrator and designed book covers, textile patterns, ceramic stoves, and furniture. Besides art reviews, he also wrote travelogues of his journeys to Paris and Spain as a journalist. In the early twentieth century, he participated in several group exhibitions in Finland, Berlin and Paris. In the 1930s and 1940s, he had his own exhibitions at venues such as gallery Hörhammer, Salon Strindberg and Turku Art Museum.

1877

Axel August Haartman was born in his great-grandmother’s house at Piispankatu 14 in Turku.

1888

The family moved to Turku. Axel started studying at the Finnish Art Society’s Drawing School in Turku at the age of twelve.

1877-1888

Childhood at Saustila manor in Sauvo and in Halikko in southwestern Finland.

1896-1898

Studied at P. S. Kröyer’s private academy in Copenhagen.

1894-1896

Studied at P. S. Kröyer’s private academy in Copenhagen.

1898

Married Hedvig Stolpe (1874–1967).

1898-1900

Lived in Florence and Rome in Italy.

1902

Studied with Wassily Kandinsky in Munich. Spent several periods living and studying in Paris.

1907-1910

Worked as teacher at Turku Drawing School with Victor Westerholm. Art reviewer for the local paper Åbo Underrättelser until 1914.

1910

Spent three months living in Spain.

1912

Issued a collection of short stories entitled Spegeln (The mirror) under the name Axel Gabriels.

1913

Stopped painting. Spent the next ten years mainly working as a journalist and art dealer. Wrote art reviews in the newspapers Dagens Press and Hufvudstadsbladet. Later became editor-in-chief of the weekly magazine Veckans Krönika. In 1916 he also wrote the history of the first 25 years of the Turku Art Society.

1917-1920

Worked at the art gallery Stenmans Konstsalong in Helsinki, where art dealer Gösta Stenman (1888–1947) was a prime figure in modern art dealing in Finland and Sweden.

1920-talet

Returned to painting. Moved to Naantali with his wife, Hedvig. Became the curator of Turku Art Museum, a post he held for thirty years. Member of Naantali city council until 1950.