THE ART WORK

Punainen Kosmos (Red Cosmos)(2004)
by Risto Vilhunen
Acrylic on board and plexiglass, 60 x 60 cm

Sininen Kosmos (Blue Cosmos)(2004)
by Risto Vilhunen
Acrylic on board and plexiglass, 60 x 60 cm

Supernova I (Supernova I)(2004)
by Risto Vilhunen
Acrylic on board and plexiglass, 60 x 60 cm

Kosmisia mustia aukkoja (Cosmic Black Holes) (2004)
by Risto Vilhunen
Acrylic on board and plexiglass, 60 x 60 cm

Kosmisia mustia aukkoja (Cosmic Black Holes) (2004)
by Risto Vilhunen
Acrylic on board and plexiglass, 60 x 60 cm

Kohti kosmosta (Towards Cosmos)(2004)
by Risto Vilhunen
Acrylic on board and plexiglass, 60 x 60 cm

Kosminen tie (Cosmic Road)(2004)
by Risto Vilhunen
Acrylic on board and plexiglass, 60 x 60 cm

Kosmos 360 (Cosmos 360)(2006)
by Risto Vilhunen
Acrylic on board and plexiglass, 60 x 60 cm

Risto Vilhunen (1945- ) studied art at the School of the Finnish Art Academy in 1964-68. Vilhunen´s first solo exhibition took place in 1965 and, beginning in 1970, he has had numerous solo exhibitions. He first exhibited in the Young Artists Exhibition in Helsinki in 1966 and has since that time participated in several joint exhibitions both in Finland and in a number of other European countries

Vilhunen first became known in the 1960s for his colorful works of Pop Art that broke out of the form of the frame. In the early 1970s, Vilhunen took a turn from Pop Art towards landscape painting, typically featuring Finnish agricultural buildings and fields in a stylized manner, while also continuing to create works inspired by Pop Art. He later founded a sculpture park on his property in Sotunki, Vantaa, and adopted the artist name Leonardo da Vilhu.

As befits his pseudonym, Vilhunen is a highly versatile and productive artist whose oeuvre is strongly characterized by a disregard of boundaries as well as the thought of repetition. Vilhunen has not wanted to be limited by any particular movement or fad but has during his prolific career altered between different styles and techniques, often returning to the same themes again and again. This includes his paintings inspired by the cosmos that he has continued to create for over five decades.

The Risto Vilhunen Collection of the Vantaa Art Museum, which he donated to his hometown in 2009, comprises more than 6 000 works, including paintings, prints, collages, drawings and sketches.

Vilhunen is also known as an avid collector both of works by his contemporaries and by important artists of the past as well as icons and he is a figure often seen at art auctions. He has donated more than 4,000 works from his collection, including more than 500 icons, to the Kuopio Art Museum.