Abstract art
In 1950s the Finnish artists looked for foreign influence: first in Paris, then in United States but also in Stockholm, where modern art exhibitions were organized in Moderna museet. Abstract art made its breakthrough first in concrete art. Early concretists included Birger Carlstedt and Sam Vanni. When Vanni's monumental painting "Contrapunctus" (1959) won competition for mural in Helsinki, abstract art was considered to be accepted and established in Finland.