Didrichsenin taidemuseo
Art museum in Kuusisaari by the seashore, designed by Viljo Revell, with Finnish and international art and ancient collections.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The Didrichsen Art Museum was founded by Marie-Louise and Gunnar Didrichsen. In 1963 they established the art foundation Didrichsens konstmuseum sr, which is responsible for the museum and its collections. The architect Viljo Revell designed the building in Helsinki’s Kuusisaari in two stages: Villa Didrichsen was completed as the family home in 1957, and the exhibition wing in 1964. The building, which represents clear-lined modernism, shows influences from international brutalism.
The museum opened to the public in September 1965, and at first only the exhibition wing was open. The villa wing was opened after the last resident, Gunnar Didrichsen, had died. During the first decades the museum was open only twice a week; since 1997 activity has increased and opening hours have been extended. A comprehensive renovation was carried out in 2013–2014, which improved safety and accessibility.
The collection includes Finnish and international visual art as well as objects from ancient high cultures. The building is surrounded by a public sculpture park, which is always open. The museum usually has around three changing exhibitions a year.
Highlights
- Modernist museum building designed by Viljo Revell
- Finnish and international 20th-century art
- Ancient collections from Asia, Persia and pre-Columbian America
- Public sculpture park by the sea
- Café Marie-Louise with terrace
- Founded
- 1965
- Operated by
- Didrichsens konstmuseum sr
- Director
- Anna-Maria Wiljanen
- Visitors per year
- approx. 30,000
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €17 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €14pensioners, teachers, artists and groups of at least 10 people |
| Children & teens | freefree up to age 17 · Under-18s enter free of charge. |
| Seniors | €14 |
| Visitors with disabilities | –companion free · A personal assistant enters free of charge. |
| Students & apprentices | €10Students and unemployed people: €10. |
| Groups (10+ people) | €14 per personGroups of at least 10 people. |
Advance tickets are not sold, and there is no need to book a place for the exhibitions. The Museokortti (Finnish Museum Card) is accepted and sold at the ticket desk. Payment methods: common bank and credit cards, cash, Smartum culture voucher, Edenred Virike and ePassi. A private guided tour costs €100 or €120. The public sculpture park is free of charge.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible
- Elevator
- Accessible restroom
- Accessible parking: no information
- Service dogs welcome: no information
- Tactile models & exhibits: no information
- Sign language tours: no information
- Easy-to-read materials: no information
- Audio description: no information
The main entrance is suitable for people with mobility impairments. Accessible taxis can drop passengers at the end of Kuusilahdenkuja, about 20 metres from the main door. The lift serves the lower-floor exhibition spaces behind the museum shop, and all exhibition spaces can be reached without stairs. A wheelchair can be borrowed from the museum. The step-free toilet is at the end of the corridor on the villa side and has a changing table. There is an induction loop at the ticket desk; loops for watching films are available from staff, and group guided tours can use amplifying headsets. Dogs are not allowed in the museum.
Kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 17 |
|---|
- Stroller-friendly
- Baby changing facilities
Pushchairs and baby carriers can be borrowed from the ticket desk. The step-free toilet has a changing table.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Kuusisaarenkuja
Tram line 4 to Munkkiniemen puistotie, and from there bus 510 or 52 from Munkkiniemen aukio. By metro to Aalto University station (exit A), and from platform 14 bus 510 (Alakaupunki–Herttoniemi) or 52 (Tietotie–Kuninkaantammi). Buses 510 and 52 stop at the museum stop Kuusisaarenkuja.
By car
Free parking
There is a free car park for visitors in front of the museum. On nearby streets, for example Kuusisaarenpolku, there is two hours’ free parking with a parking disc every day 10:00–18:00.
Bicycle racks are in the car park; the nearest city bike station is about 50 metres away on Kuusisaarenpolku (summer only). Private boats can moor at the museum’s jetty.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
- Café
- Museum shop
- Coat check
- Lockers
Café Marie-Louise next to the museum shop (coffee, soft drinks and a small snack; in summer a terrace with sea views). The museum shop is near the main entrance, and there is an online shop. At the entrance there are cloakroom lockers and lockable lockers; bags and backpacks larger than A4 are not allowed in the exhibitions, and studded shoes must be left in the cloakroom.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| Good to know | Public guided tours in Finnish on Saturdays and Sundays at 13:00 and 15:00, in Swedish on Sundays at 12:00, and in English on the first Saturday of the month at 12:00. Private guided tours are booked through the museum’s guide booking. The museum also sells gift vouchers for tickets and guided tours. |
