The Petit Palais in Paris has opened a major retrospective exhibition dedicated to Finnish painter Pekka Halonen, titled "Pekka Halonen: A Hymn to Finland," running from November 4, 2025, through February 22, 2026. This comprehensive exhibition celebrates the work of the Finnish artist who trained in Paris and became renowned for his depictions of wild, snow-covered landscapes. The show is designed as a sensory experience that transports visitors to the heart of Finland's sublime natural beauty.

Known as "the painter of snow," Pekka Halonen (1865-1933) is being honored this fall and winter in Paris with the first major French retrospective of his work. The exhibition showcases the artistic journey of this Finnish painter, who was a true poet of snow but remains relatively unknown in France. Ironically, it was in Paris where Halonen received his artistic training, studying under Paul Gauguin and absorbing the artistic movements that influenced Parisian creation in the late 19th century, including Japonism, plein air painting, and Synthetism.

Halonen specialized in painting wild landscapes, demonstrating an undeniable talent for capturing winter scenes. Deeply attached to his country and its characteristic nature, the artist established his studio, called Halosenniemi, along Lake Tuusula in southern Finland. From this location, he drew inspiration from his garden to create works filled with light and color that evolved with the changing seasons.

The exhibition features more than 130 works from major public and private collections across Finland, offering visitors a deep dive into Finland's wild nature and history, as well as a poetic and contemplative journey through Halonen's paintings. To trace his entire career from the late 1880s to the early 1930s, the Petit Palais has organized a chronothematic journey that allows visitors to better appreciate the painter's artistic evolution. The exhibition also reveals the artists who inspired him, his passion for music (he knew the great composer Jean Sibelius well), his practice of the kantele (a typically Finnish instrument resembling a zither), and his lifestyle.

The visit takes on another dimension when visitors enter Halonen's reconstructed studio "Halosenniemi," complete with wooden walls and a large bay window overlooking the famous lake that the artist so admired and observed. This section displays everyday objects from the artist's life, including his travel easel, a pair of skis, and his kantele, as well as the famous paintings created on site and projections of contemporary photos of the house and its surroundings. Just before entering this room, visitors are invited to experience the soothing benefits of the Finnish forest through an olfactory station.

Far more than a simple exhibition tracing the life and career of the Nordic painter, the retrospective has been conceived as a meditative walk and sensory experience. The highlight of the exhibition is found in the final room, titled "Symphonic in White Major." Here, visitors can admire true masterpieces that perfectly capture the luminous whitness of winter. Above these canvases, which invite genuine silent contemplation, the Petit Palais has inscribed 30 different Finnish words evoking snow and ice. While "Pakkaslumi" means "powder snow," "Höytylumi" is used to describe "very soft snow."

The exhibition invites visitors to experience a refreshing and sensory immersion in Finland's sumptuous wild landscapes through Halonen's poetic works, while also encouraging reflection on nature preservation in the face of climate change. This is an exhibition that teaches visitors about Pekka Halonen, of course, but also about Finland and its history as an independent nation since December 6, 1917. It's also an exhibition where visitors must take their time to admire each painting and feel the power of this wild nature.

"The original source of my inspiration is nature. For 30 years, I have lived in the same place, with the forest at my feet. I have often thought that I had the Louvre or the world's greatest treasures at my door. I just need to go into the forest to see the most wonderful paintings - and I need nothing else," the Nordic painter once said. For those interested in additional programming, the Petit Palais is organizing several events for the occasion, including a weekend dedicated to the famous Moomins, scheduled for December 6 and 7, 2025. The exhibition runs until February 22, 2026, with regular admission priced at €17 and reduced admission at €15.