page_title: Akseli Gallen-Kallela
section_title: Kenya
hierarchical_section_title: Akseli Gallen-Kallela / Life and career / Kenya
context_page_description: Akseli Gallen-Kallela was a Finnish painter who is best known for his illustrations of the Kalevala, the Finnish national epic. His work is considered very important for the Finnish national identity. He changed his name from Gallén to Gallen-Kallela in 1907.
context_section_description: In 1908 with renewal in mind, Gallen-Kallela and his family moved to Paris. However the city and the new direction art was being taken didn't feel as hospitable as he had hoped, and so in May 1909 they moved much further away to Nairobi in Kenya. He was the first Finnish artist to paint south of the Sahara, and he totalled over 150 expressionistic works. Although artistically the paintings are of fluctuating quality, their colors and the synergy of the colors are remarkable. They returned to Finland in February 2011. Between 1911 and 1913 he designed and built a studio and house for his family at Tarvaspää, approximately 10 km northwest of the centre of Helsinki.
caption: Akseli Gallen-Kallela After Returning From Africa by Sigurd Wettenhovi-Aspa in 1911
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