About the artwork

After the war, the tourism industry became a big challenge for Finland. Vyborg (Viipuri/Viborg) was lost – the paradise island in the Gulf of Finland, Hogland (Suursaari) was lost, the arctic passage to the Arctic Ocean was lost – and large parts of Lappland’s infrastructure had been burnt down or been obliterated by bombs.

However, with gathered strength Finland built the country back up again, and eventually the country was ready to welcome foreign guests. Tourists meant cash and the rekindling of the economy so it was a vital industry. In Europe six years of bans on travel had taken its toll and the desire to have fun and enjoy life was big.

In Erkki Hölttä’s two-part Finland poster the country got its message to the tourists across in a concise way: Finland shall be a travel destination both during the summer and winter. The Tourist Board in Finland was so delighted by Hölttä’s calm and harmonious design that, in 1948, it was awarded the prize for the best Finnish travel poster of the year.