Marjatta Tapiola

Marjatta Tapiola studied at Academy of Fine Arts of Helsinki. The recorded working language is Finnish. Places of work recorded in the authority are Helsinki. Work by Marjatta Tapiola is recorded in the collections of Finnish National Gallery. Distinctions recorded are Pro Finlandia Medal of the Order of the Lion of Finland, Finnish State Prize for Visual Arts and Ducat Prize.

• Name — Marjatta Tapiola • Birth Name — Marjatta Tapiola • Born — 30 April 1951 • Birthplace — Sysmä, Finland • Field — Artist • Training — The Finnish Art Academy School

Marjatta Tapiola was born in 1951 in Sysmä which is a rural area in Finland. Her father Olli Tapiola was a farmer and her mother Kerttu Tapiola was a housekeeper, art dealer and the owner of used bookstore. Tapiola studied in the Finnish Art Academy School (new name Academy of Fine Arts, Helsinki) between 1969–1974.

Tapiola's debut art exhibition was organized in year 1973 at Jyväskylä, Finland. At the time of her breakthrough in the 1980s the neo-expressionist art style was gaining popularity; however Tapiola's art does not necessarily fit inside these boundaries. Some typical elements in Tapiola's paintings are minotaurs, horses and skulls. Tapiola's newer paintings are said to be characterized by fluent drawing quality and multilayered lines. Recent works often feature network of lines on a pale background. In February 2013 the portrait of the President of Finland, Sauli Niinistö painted by Marjatta Tapiola sparked controversy and got considerable media attention in Finland. Tapiola's recent exhibits include Marjatta Tapiola: Paintings at Galarie Forsblom in Helsinki (2019), Marjatta Tapiola: Paintings 2017-2021 at Kajaani Art Museum in Kajaani (2021), and Marjatta Tapiola: In Other Words at the Lahti Museum of Visual Arts Malva in Lahti (2022). Tapiola is represented by Galarie Forsblom.

Marjatta Tapiola has two daughters, writer Aina Bergroth (b. 1975) and film director and screenwriter Zaida Bergroth (b. 1977).