Who is Roger Broo?

Who is Roger Broo? This is a question that the artist Carina Granlund has asked in her numerous sketches for a commissioned work by the art collector Roger Broo (1945–2017). The exhibition presents the collector and his art collection and tries to offer a picture of him and his interest in art through the works. The collection, with an emphasis on graphics and painting, consists in its entirety of approximately 400 works and extends from the 1950s to the 2010s.

After Broo’s death, his spouse Harriet Silius donated a part of the collection to the Åbo Akademi University Foundation in 2021. The collection of approximately 160 works by nearly 100 artists forms the basis of this exhibition, which is completed by a smaller number of works previously donated to the Turku Art Museum and works owned by the family. The exhibition Who is Roger Broo? highlights 33 of these artists.

As a collector, Roger Broo followed the development of contemporary art and frequently visited exhibitions in museums and galleries. Through his art acquisitions, he mainly supported young artists at the beginning of their careers. In the diverse collection, the majority of artists are represented with just one or a few works, while artists such as Carina Granlund, Manno Kalliomäki, Veronika Ringbom and Pauliina Turakka Purhonen are represented with several works. The collection includes both humour, playfulness and seriousness. Through its versatility and variety, the collection expresses an open-minded and genuine interest in art.

Besides art collecting, Broo was also an active and engaged actor with various tasks and roles in the Finnish art and culture field. He was a social scientist and highly committed to educational issues. He worked for more than 30 years as the director of administration at Åbo Akademi and was also awarded an honorary doctorate. He was also a member and chairman of various boards and associations, such as the Pro Artibus Foundation, the Swedish Cultural Foundation and the Turku Art Museum, to name a few.

The exhibition is produced in collaboration between the Åbo Akademi University Foundation and the Vaasa museums. The curator of the exhibition is Janna Sirén. Technical production: Juha Havusela, Olli Kohtamäki and Jenni Ojalainen.