Last updated: 28 October 2026
Jenni Hiltunen is the Finnish artist behind bold, brightly coloured paintings of women, drawn from fashion, social media and her own life. Here you will find our take on her work, where to see Jenni Hiltunen now, how to buy a painting, and her small double portrait in this year’s War Child auction.
Our take on Jenni Hiltunen
Hiltunen paints women, often looking straight back at you, in fast strokes and strong colour. Her sources include fashion ads, music videos and social media, as well as friends who pose for her. She calls the subject “posing culture”. “I hope to put a mirror in front of people to make them aware and realize phenomena of which they are a part,” she told Collectors Agenda.
Her War Child piece, Desert Love, is oil on wood and hangs landscape. Two young women press their heads together and stare out at the viewer. One has dark hair and a pale, pink-cheeked face; the other is behind her, with brown hair and a slight frown. Behind them, a band of navy sky sits over a strip of sandy yellow. The paint is thick and quick, with the black hair laid on in heavy strokes.
She describes her own speed well. “I want to capture the magical moment very fast and my handprint is quite fierce,” she said in the same interview. That energy shows in this lot, which already had a £190 bid when I checked on 28 October. Her work is in Kiasma, Finland’s national museum of contemporary art, so this is a well-collected painter at a small scale.
Jenni Hiltunen: the essentials
- Born in Hollola, Finland, in 1981; lives and works in Helsinki, according to Galerie Forsblom.
- Studied at the Arts Academy at Turku University of Applied Sciences (BFA, 2004) and the Academy of Fine Arts, Helsinki (MA, 2007).
- First made her name by combining painting with video. Her video works are distributed by AV-arkki, the Centre for Finnish Media Art.
- Has expanded into sculpture in recent years, and showed sculptures alongside paintings in Tears Are My Butterflies (2024).
- Her work is in the collections of Kiasma, the Finnish State Art Deposit, the Saastamoinen Foundation at EMMA, Tampere Art Museum and Kuopio Art Museum.
- Represented by Galerie Forsblom, Helsinki, and has shown regularly with Mimmo Scognamiglio Artecontemporanea in Milan.
Where to see Jenni Hiltunen now
- Coming up: Sound & Vision 2026, a War Child charity auction online from 27 October to 12 November 2026, with the works on view at Iconic Images Gallery, London, 6 to 8 November. The piece is Desert Love (2026), oil on wood, 21 x 15 cm (8.3 x 5.9 in), lot page.
- Mirror (solo), the Finnish Institute in Madrid, 2025.
- Tears Are My Butterflies (solo), Galerie Forsblom, Helsinki, 23 August to 22 September 2024.
- Smörgåsbord (group), Berntson Bhattacharjee, London, 2024.
- Purple Grass (solo), Galerie Forsblom, Helsinki, 11 February to 6 March 2022.
How to buy a Jenni Hiltunen painting
There are no Jenni Hiltunen prints on sale in the UK at the moment. These are the ways to buy her work:
- Desert Love, 2026: a small oil on wood in the War Child Sound & Vision auction, bidding from £100 until 12 November 2026 (bid here).
- Paintings, works on paper and sculpture: through Galerie Forsblom, Helsinki, price on request.
Jenni Hiltunen FAQs
Which gallery represents Jenni Hiltunen?
Galerie Forsblom in Helsinki, which has given her solo shows since 2017. She also shows with Mimmo Scognamiglio Artecontemporanea in Milan.
What does Jenni Hiltunen paint?
Mostly women and girls, in bold colour and quick brushwork. Her subjects include gender, identity and the way people pose for images on social media.
Is Jenni Hiltunen’s work in museum collections?
Yes. Kiasma in Helsinki, the Finnish State Art Deposit, Tampere Art Museum and the Saastamoinen Foundation collection at EMMA all hold her work.
Where can I see Jenni Hiltunen’s work in London?
Her War Child piece, Desert Love, is on view at Iconic Images Gallery from 6 to 8 November 2026.
More from CoolCuration
- Louis Fratino at David Zwirner review: more bold figurative painting in London.
- Great Women Artists: Phaidon’s big survey book, for more women painters to discover.
- Art on a Postcard: another charity art sale where small works by big names go for less.
- Frieze London guide: where to find the best new painting at the fair.
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Main image: Jenni Hiltunen in her Helsinki studio. Photo: Florian Langhammer for Collectors Agenda. Cropped and framed by CoolCuration. Exhibition dates, prices, auction results and market figures last checked: 28 October 2026.
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