Colour Me Modern

By Claire Aho, Penguins 1950s © JB

Colour Me Modern: Claire Aho and the New Woman

Photography Exhibition in Museum Gallery and Mortimer Gardens

Photo by CLAIRE AHO. Surprise! Pirkko Mannola, Miss Finland 1958. ©JB

Photo by CLAIRE AHO 1959. Model Carita Järvinen. © JB

Photo by CLAIRE AHO 1952. Finlandia Sweets © JB

Photo by CLAIRE AHO 1961. The Pension Reform. © JB

All images courtesy of Aho & Soldan Photo and Film Foundation

We’re delighted to announce our spring exhibition, Colour Me Modern: Claire Aho and the New Woman opening on Saturday 7 March.

Claire Aho was a pioneering Finnish photographer who brought wit, colour and cinematic flair to postwar image-making. Working across fashion, advertising and editorial, she embraced bold palettes and modern design at a time when much photography remained monochrome. She helped shape a new visual language for Finland, presenting confident, contemporary women and transforming everyday scenes into carefully staged moments of style.

Just as Claire used colour and a modern style to project confidence and optimism about the future, we hope this exhibition leaves visitors feeling uplifted, energised and more hopeful about what lies ahead.

📍 Hundred Heroines Museum (directions here) – main gallery and in Mortimer Gardens, Fountain St, Nailsworth
📅 7 March – 31 May
🎟️ Free