Art crime and police work

from Tampere Times 2/2021

Hello darkness my old friend

Ferdinand Von Wright (1822–1906) was a Finnish painter best known for his landscapes and animal paintings. Every Finn knows his painting Fighting Capercaillies through school books and other reproductions. Perhaps inspired by this, the forger developed an entirely new piece of art, Fighting Black Grouses, which he claimed to be a painting previously unknown in Finland as it had been sold to Sweden by von Wright. In 2007, an art collector bought it for 100,000 euros.

The Police Museum's exhibitions show police work of past and present, as well as extraordinary artworks from Picasso, Repin and Gallen-Kallela. Extraordinary, since they all are forgeries.

Written by tiina tuulasvaara-kaleva, ChieF intendant

The Police Museum opened in 2008, presenting for the first time the history of the Finnish police to the public. Police work has changed along with society as a whole, and the exhibition therefore presents the history of the police in the context of major trends in Finnish history.

The new permanent exhibition was opened in 2019.

It is innovative and versatile, utilises state-of-the-art technology and is based on recent research on the topics presented. Numerous objects, photographs and films from the collections of the museum are on display, telling the story of how police work has changed throughout history and across the country. From crime scenes to road accidents and rural areas to growing cities, the exhibition illustrates the various aspects of policing.

When the police searched a forger’s home, this forged painting was still on the easel. Glass art forgeries based on Finnish designs.

The exhibition begins with the Swedish era in Finnish history, featuring witch hunts, sheriffs and an executioner’s axe. As Finland eventually became part of the Russian Empire, the country’s first police department was established in Turku. The exhibition concludes with the refugee crisis of 2015, during which the police registered asylum seekers at a reception centre in Tornio by the Swedish border. The police also established a presence on social media.

Police equipment from swords to electroshock weapons, wagons to cars and sleds to motorcycles are on display. Criminals have also changed their methods, from obtaining valuables by blowing up safes to committing identity thefts online.

At the exhibition, the “Alley of Tears” explores social problems such as prostitution, but also how women first entered the male-dominated police force as officers of vice squads. By the “Prohibition Barrel” you can learn about the business of illegal alcohol in the 1920s and 1930s and how Prohibition was viewed by the police and the public.

Evidence from notorious cases of homicide, including the Lake Bodom and Tulilahti murders, has also been put on display. These items are from the collections of the Crime Museum, a subsidiary of the Police Museum, the main exhibition of which is located within the headquarters of the National Bureau of Investigation in Vantaa, and is not open to the general public.

The coloured truth of art forgeries

New temporary exhibitions open every two years. Opened in the spring of 2021, The coloured truth – Art crime in Finland tells the story of Operation Fake, the investigation of one of the largest series of art forgery crimes in Europe. The exhibition presents the history of art crimes, how art forgers and fraudulent art dealers work, and how

THE EXHIBITION CONTAINS 280 ART FORGERIES, MANY OF WHICH WERE CLAIMED TO BE PAINTINGS BY PROMINENT ARTISTS OF THE GOLDEN AGE OF FINNISH ART.

the National Bureau of Investigation investigated these crimes in collaboration with the Finnish National Gallery.

Dealing in art forgeries is motivated by a desire for considerable profits. This business is associated with aggravated fraud, money laundering, embezzlement and other forms of organised crime. When suspected forgeries have been seized by the police, conservators and material scientists of the Finnish National Gallery determine whether the items are indeed forgeries. The police are, in turn, responsible for finding out whether the art dealer was aware of the true nature of the items he or she was selling.

The National Bureau of Investigation identified 24 fraudulent art dealers who had deceived more than 40 buyers, making a total profit of 20 million euros. The exhibition contains 280 art forgeries, many of which were claimed to be paintings by prominent artists of the Golden Age of Finnish Art (1880–1910), including Akseli Gallen-Kallela and Helene Schjerfbeck.

Some of the forgeries were marketed as works of internationally renowned artists such as Ivan Aivazovsky, Ilya Repin, Pablo Picasso and Fernand Léger. As the market for art forgeries is based on what is currently popular and can be sold at a high price, the works on display illustrate the taste of contemporary collectors. Upon having been discovered by the police, the forgeries were seized by the state as tools of crime and were subsequently obtained by the Police Museum.

The main exhibition includes Pokela, a police station for children where young visitors can try on police coverall and learn about police work through play, comics and animations. There is also a cinema room where visitors can watch clips from old police films.

Sit in a police van, put on virtual reality goggles and see how many traffic offences you can spot while patrolling! You can also investigate a burglary in a simulation room that utilises augmented reality.

There is a wall with police equipment that can be touched by visitors, including field coveralls, a bulletproof vest, a truncheon and a helmet. For the visually impaired, the texts of this section are also available in braille.

The museum provides an interactive learning environment for the public as well as students of the Police University College. For example, students utilise the museum when learning crime scene photography.

Online exhibitions

A virtual tour of the main exhibition is available on the Police Museum website. There are also several online exhibitions, including From breeches to coveralls – The history of Finnish police uniforms and The police of independent Finland. This autumn’s exhibition Crime and love will present the history of legislation regarding homosexuality and how police work has been influenced by changes in legislation and public attitudes toward sexual and gender minorities.

The Police Museum maintains an active presence on social media and invites you to follow them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube to get information on what is taking place in the museum's exhibitions and collections!

The museum's YouTube channel has many videos, including interviews with investigators of art crimes and the time travel adventure of Antti Lieroinen, the last person in Finnish history to have been burned at the stake for witchcraft. In this series, Antti takes a tour of the museum, reflecting upon how policing has evolved over the centuries. s

VISIT THE MUSEUM BY TRAM, BUS OR CAR

The Police Museum is located on Vaajakatu 2, beside the Police University College. The museum can be conveniently reached from the city centre of Tampere by public transportation. The museum is a five-minute walk from the tram stop Opiskelija B, which can be reached by Tram Line 3 in 20 minutes. Buses 5, 6, 13 and 19 also stop nearby. The parking lot in front of the museum allows 2 hours of free parking.

Covid-19 restrictions may vary during the season and there may occasionally be a limit on how many visitors can be admitted at a time. To find out whether it is necessary to announce your visit in advance, please visit our website Poliisimuseo.fi/en or call our front desk (029 5418 325). Opening hours are Tuesday to Friday 10 am–3 pm and Saturday 12–5 pm.

The coloured truth -exhibition. Nothing is quite what it seems at first glance.

A free museum for the entire family

The Police Museum is located adjacent to the Police University College in the Tampere suburb of Hervanta. Admission is free, and the museum has something to offer visitors of all ages and backgrounds. Over time, the museum has become one of the many popular attractions of Tampere.

The museum is open all year round and is fully accessible by wheelchair. Exhibition texts and audio guides are available in Finnish, Swedish and English.

In addition to providing interesting historical perspectives, the museum hopes to foster communication between the police and the public they serve, thereby contributing to public order and safety.

Culture House LAIKKU

Located in the heart of Tampere, Culture House Laikku is home for art and culture. Come enjoy art exhibitions and events that are arranged almost daily. Café Laikku serves tasty lunch and sweet and savory delicacies.

OPENING HOURS:

CULTURE HOUSE LAIKKU