The Hjelt Lecture Series

Allan and Bo Hjelt Art Foundation had the great honour to welcome Mr. Leonardo Ferragamo, Chairman of Nautor Swan, to give an inspirational design talk on Finnish-Italian collaboration in Helsinki in March.

Time: Wed, April 27 th 2022 at 5 pm Venue: Handelsgilletin juhlasali, Kasarminkatu 40, 2. krs., Helsinki Lecture in English. Sir John Stuttard has had a long association with Finland, prominent Finnish companies and Rolls-Royce-motor cars. A chartered accountant, and former Lord Mayor of London, he holds a MA in Economics. Starting in 1983, working with the firm Salmi, Virkunnen & Helenius, he assisted Finnish companies establish operations in other countries, list their shares on overseas Stock Exchanges, acquire and sell businesses and help them prepare annual reports using best international practice. These companies included Amer, Metsäliitto, Metsä-Serla, Metso, Nokia, Nordea, Outokumpu, Pohjola, Rauma-Repola and Stora-Enso. He was also, for many years, Chairman of the Finnish-British Chamber of Commerce in the UK and is now one of its two Life Presidents. For his services to Finnish companies, he was awarded the honour of Commander of the Order of the Lion of Finland, as well as the Silver Medal of Helsinki. He has spent much time in Finland on business and, socially, with friends. In 1987 he completed the 78 kilometre cross-country skiing marathon, Reppu-Finlandia, from Hämeenlinna to Lahti. In 1989 he acquired his first pre-WWII Rolls-Royce, a 1934 20/25 Barker Sports Saloon which, in 1997, he drove from Beijing to Paris in a rally lasting six weeks, travelling 16,000 kilometres across the world through rugged terrain. He has also owned other old Rolls-Royce cars and his family now has a 1921 Silver Ghost Harrison All Weather Tourer which was owned originally by the Maharaja of Porbandar. For nine years, he was Chairman of The 20-Ghost Club, the oldest Rolls-Royce club in the world, and is now a Vice-President. In his recent book, “Pre-War Rolls-Royce Motor Cars with a Finnish connection”, he traces fascinating stories of Rolls-Royce-motor cars and their Finnish owners. Year: 2022

Allan and Bo Hjelt Foundation has decided to cancel The Hjelt Talk in May 2020 to keep everyone safe. We will let you know the new date for the next talk in November 2020 as soon as we can.

Mitchell Owens: Design Treats Lecture at Design Museum. Renowned journalist and Decorative Arts Editor of Architectural Digest (AD) Mitchell Owens talks about career, writing and his relationship with Finnish design and architecture.

A. D. Coleman: Titled “The End (and Ends) of Photo Criticism”, the lecture addressed Coleman’s professional experiences over the past half-century, changes in the field of photography during that period, and the shifting situation of photography criticism across those decades.

Esther Charlesworth: ‘Humanitarian Architecture’ is a collective belief that through a consultative process of spatial problem solving, the design profession can contribute in a significant way to the complex challenge of rebuilding a city and its community, following the event of a natural disaster.

In the fall of 2017, eleven Master of Architecture students from the Harvard University Graduate School of Design travelled to Finland with professor Toshiko Mori, to conduct research on the Säynätsalo Town Hall and the work of Alvar Aalto.

What is the role of art in exploring the possibilities of new buildings? Can museums shape the way we experience art? Can architecture add to the learning experience in schools? What will the cities of the future look like? How can architects and citizens together shape our future cities?