1925-2012
1925 Kauko Lehtinen was born on December 1 at Kukonmäki in Uusikaupunki, western Finland. His father, Eero Lehtinen, was a manual labourer, and his mother Helmi (née Mäki) came from a family of craftsmen. In addition to sewing, the mother made various kinds of ornamental objects for sale. Kauko was the elder of the two children in the family.
1927 The family moved to Turku.
1940 Kauko Lehtinen left secondary school and found em-ployment as an assistant to a dental technician.
1943 Alongside his work, Lehtinen began to study at the Drawing School of the Turku Art Society under Harry Henriksson. The principal of the school was Ragnar Ungern.
1945 Lehtinen enrolled in the correspondence course of the "ABC School of Drawing", completing the course three years later with the grade of "excellent". The ABC school was headed by the artist Unto Pusa. Lehtinen's teachers were Anna Airi la and Unto Kaipainen.
1946 Kauko Lehtinen's works were on show for the first time at the Turku Art Museum and in an exhibition that toured Denmark, Norway and Sweden.
1947 Married Anja Lintanen. Their son, Kari, was born the same year.
1948 Lehtinen gained his dental technician's diploma.
1949 In the autumn Lehtinen went on a two-month study trip to Sweden, Norway and Denmark together with Kalle Eskola on a grant provided by the Turku Art Society and the Turku Artists' Association. In Copenhagen he was interested in paintings by Lucas Cranach, and in works by Edvard Munch on show in Oslo. Lehtinen alan saw Norwegian monumental art in the Oslo City Hall, which was under construction at the time. Awarded fourth prize for his painting "Interior" in a competition arranged by the ABC School of Drawing.
1950 Lehtinen began his military service in October in the border guard in Lapland. Participated in exhibitions in Turku and Stockholm.
1951 The artist Otto Mäkilä invited Lehtinen to became a member of "Ryhmä 9" ("Group 9") which had been established in Turku. Mäkilä and Lehtinen became close friends. Lehtinen finished his military service in May.
1952 Lehtinen established his own dental laboratory and par-ticipated in two exhibitions in Turku.
1953 Awarded a grant from the Turku Ari Society. Partici-pated in three exhibitions in Finland.
1954 Together with Kalle Eskola, Lehtinen undertook a three-month study trip to Italy, Switzerland, France, Belgium and Holland with the aid of a grant from the Turku Art Society. The Early Renaissance art of Italy made a deep impression on Lehtinen. Participated in the exhibition of "Group 9" in Turku.
1955 Participated in two exhibitions in Turku.
1956 Received a grant from the Turku Art Society. Lehtinen decided to concentrate solely on his art. Participated in an exhibition in Turku.
1957 Moved to a larger studio and apartment in Turku. Par-ticipated in a fresco-painting course in Novernber. Par-ticipated in two exhibitions in Turku.
1958 Received the shared first prize in a mural competition for a school in Turku. The project was entitled "Study Nature". Lehtinen was awarded a stipend from the City of Turku. In the summer, the artist went on a 7,000-kilometre trip by moped to Europe. The itinerary included Stockholm, Copenhagen, Hamburg, Bremen, Otterloo, Brussels, Paris, Arles, Antibes, Monaco, Florence, Venice, Ve¬rona, Milan, Basel and via Germany hack to Copenha-gen, Stockholm and Turku. During this mm; Lehtinen visited the leading museums of Italy and Cen¬tral Europe. One of the main events was a retrospective of Mocligliani's works in Paris. Works on show in exhibi-tions in Turku and Helsinki.
1959 Participated in a fresco-painting course held by the artist Hilkka Toivola. In this connection Lehtinen painted the fresco "Building Workers" for the Turku Painter School. Participated in exhibitions in Turku and 'Pietarsaari.
1960 Lehtinen received a grant from the Turku Art Society. He was one of the founders of the Arte group of Turku. Lehtinen spent his first summer. at Koivusaari in Rymättylä. Works on show in an exhibition in Turku.
1961 Participated in a lithograph course organized by the Arte group. During the spring, Lehtinen went on a three-month study trip to Amsterdam and Paris, where he was particularly interested in the most recent trends and currents in art. In Paris, he saw among other exhibitions, a showing by Robert Rauschenberg, and personally met Niki de Saint-Phalle and Jean Tinguely. The latter's junk sculptures were a cause celebre at the "Movement in Art" exhibition held in Amsterdam at the time. Lehtinen also visited Saint-Phalle's and Tinguely's studios. Studied in Paris at the Acad6mie de la Grande Chawniere. Held his first solo exhibition at the Galerie Pinx in Helsinki. Participated also in exhibitions in Helsinki and Lahti.
1962 Received grants from the Finnish Cultural Foundation and the Leo Weinstein Foundation. Secretary of the Arte group. Visited the Soviet Union. Joint exhibition with Mauno Hartman at the Turku Art Museum. Electronic works by Stockhausen provided the background music at this exhibition. Lehtinen had 50 untitled paintings on display. Solo exhibitions at the Galerie Pinx in Helsinki and in Parainen.
1963 Chairman of the Arte group from 1963 to 1964. Moved to a terraced house with a studio on the ground floor. Lehtinen was appointed member of the State Arts Com-mittee from 1963 to 1967. Awarded a one-year state grant for young artists. Joint exhibition with Mauno Hartman at the Hämeenlinna Art Museum. For this exhibition Tauno Marttinen composed "Alpha", to be played with a flute and seven plates. For the critics, a joint work entitled "A Guaranteed Product for the Cri-tics" was also placed on display. Participated in the Biennial of Säo Paulo in Brazil, the Triennial of the Fine Arts Academy of Finland (on show in Hämeenlinna, Turku, Lahti, Jyväskylä, Varkaus and Joensuu), and in three other exhibitions in Finland.
1964 Illustrations to "The ABC of the Visual Arts", edited by Olli Valkonen. Travelled to Germany, where he visited Documenta at Kassel. Grants from the Finnish Artists' Association and the Leo Weinstein Foundation. Elected to the art purchases committee of the City of Turku. Member of the editorial committee of the "Art Year-book" of the Finnish Artists' Association from 1964 to 1966. Solo exhibition at the Galerie Pinx in Helsinki. Participated in the exhibition of the "Maaliskuulaiset" ("March") group in Helsinki in addition to two other exhibitions in Helsinki and Turku. Lehtinen also partici-pated in exhibitions in Birmingham, Alabama, USA, Sylt in Germany, and in Monaco, where he was given an honorary mention.
1965 Received a stipend from the City of Turku in addition to a grant from the Finland-Proper Fund of the Finnish Cultural Foundation. In April, Finnish television fea-tured a programme in which Lehtinen spoke of his art and aims. Elected to the board of the Turku Art Society, where he has been active until 1995. Solo exhibition at the Galerie Pinx in Helsinki. The Lehtinens travelled to France, Spain (Madrid, Barcelona), Italy (Florence, Venice, Milan) and Switzerland in June and July. Lehtinen remained in Paris, where he was able to move to the Cité Internationale des Arts in October. He stayed on in Paris for pari of the following year, studying at the Academie de la Grande Chaumiere. Participated in the exhibitions of the March group in Turku and Stockholm, in addition to exhibitions in Hamburg, Trondheim, Oslo, Bergen and Belgrad.
1966 Worked in Paris until mid-June. Travelled to Switzer-land, West Germany, Holland and Denmark. Worked at the Kärsämäki Manor in Turku. Elected to the board of the Turku Atelier House Foundation, where he served until 1973. Participated in exhibitions in Poland, Spain, the Soviet Union and Sweden in addition to two exhibi-tions in Finland.
1967 Lehtinen moved to a former primary school at Saramäki, where he converted a classroom into a studio. Awarded the state artist stipend for the period 1967-1969. Solo exhibitions at the Galerie Pinx in Helsinki and the Wäinö Aaltonen Museum in Turku. Works on show in exhibitions in Budapest, Bratislava, Australia and Sweden.
1968 Travelled to Italy in the summer, visiting the 34th Bien-nial in Venice. Awarded second prize in the series for drawings in the State Art Competition. Elected to the purchases committee of the Turku Art Society, where he served until 1995. Exhibition of drawings held jointly with the German sculptor Leo Kornbrust at the Galerie Pinx in Helsinki. Works also on show in exhibitions in Denmark, the United States and Estonia in addition to two exhibitions in Helsinki.
1969 Participated in two exhibitions in Germany in addition the March group's exhibitions in Stockholm and Hel¬sinki and two other exhibitions in Finland.
1970 E. de Wilde, director of the Stedelijk Museum of Amsterdam, visited Lehtinen at Saramäki, inviting him to work at the Stedelijk's studio. The Stedelijk purchased Lehtinen's "Herod's Feast" and "Transformations", and later works from the series "Erkki of Koivusaari". Lehtinen visited London. Solo exhibition of drawings (almost one hundred works) at the Galerie Pinx in Hel¬sinki. Participated in exhibitions in Brussels and Ant-werp, and in six exhibitions held in Finland.
1971 Worked as an invited artist at the studio of the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam from May to July. The Lehtinens bought a summer house on Kuusinen Island in Rymättylä. Awarded a five-year state artist grant (1971-1975). Appointed to the State Arts Committee for the 1971-1973 term and to the board of the Simo Kuntsi Foundation. Awarded the Pro Finlandia Medal on 6 December. Participated in the Second Indian Triennial in New Delhi, exhibitions in the United States and Ger-many, and four exhibitions in Finland.
1972 Retrospective of approximately 200 drawings from a period of twenty years. The exhibition was held at the Turku Art Museum, and later at the Amos Anderson Art Museum in Helsinki and the Tampere Museum of Con-temporary Art. Works also on show in exhibitions in Holland, Germany and Finland.
1973 Elected to the board of the Wäinö Aaltonen Society. Participated in exhibitions in Poland, Sweden and Finland.
1974 From 1 February to 8 May Lehtinen worked as an in-vited artist at the studio of the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam. Visited Lucebert's studio. Lucebert sug-gested an exchange of works, which was duly carried out. Lehtinen also met Christo, who visited the studio in Amsterdam. The three-month period in Amsterdam produced some 200 new works, mostly drawings. The Stedelijk bought three works for its collections: "La nuit á été", "La femme avec une mouche" and "La femme avec un objet en balance". Prize awarded by the Finnish Cultural Foundation. Participated in exhibitions in Ger-many and Finland.
1975 Visited France. Appointed artist-professor for the period 1975-1980. Solo exhibition of works made in Amsterdam at the Galerie Artek in Helsinki and at the Turku Art Museum as "Graphic Artist of the Month". The Statens Museum for Kunst of Copenhagen bought works by Lehtinen from the "Finsk idag" exhibition at the Gallerie Asboek in Copenhagen. Works on show in Paris (Facettes de Finlande) and Athens.
1976 Visited Dublin and Belfast where he participated in the mounting of the exhibition "Facettes de Finlande". Also visited London. Participated in two exhibitions in Sweden and Finland in addition to exhibitions in Norway and Denmark.
1977 Visited Paris in the late winter. Participated in the graphic portfolio of the Finnish Cultural Foundation. Works on show in an exhibiton in Yugoslavia and in four Finnish exhibitions.
1978 Visited Leningrad. Works on show in four exhibitions in Finland.
1979 Visited Paris and saw a major exhibition of Picassci's art. Solo exhibitions at the Galerie Artek in Helsinki and at the Oulu Art Museum as "Artist of the Month". Partici-pated in four exhibitions in Finland.
1980 Appointed to the State Commission on Museum Affairs for the period 1980-1981. Member of the board of the Turku Drawing School Foundation. Participated in eight exhibitions in Finland.
1981 Third period as invited artist at the Stedelijk's studio in Amsterdam. The museum purchased three works by Lehtinen. Lehtinen's solo exhibition featured in the series "Images of Music" at the National Opera in Helsinki. Appointed to the board of Galerie Artek, where he served until 1992. Works on show in exhibitions in Sweden, Norway and Iceland, in addition to two exhibitions in Finland.
1982 Solo exhibition at the Turku Art Museum and partici-pated in three other exhibitions in Finland.
1983 Awarded a five-year state artist grant (1983-1987). In-vited retrospectives at the Sara Hilden Art Museum in Tampere and the Turku Art Museum. Solo exhi-bition at Gallery K in Washington D.C. Participated in an exhibition in Finland.
1984 Awarded the title of professor. Visited Moscow and Am¬sterdam. Lehtinen was given the first Art Prize of the City of Turku and the State Art Prize. Solo exhibition of works from the Simo Kuntsi Collection. Participated in an exhibition in Moscow and five exhibitions in Finland.
1985 Participated in four exhibitions in Finland.
1986 Visited Paris. Awarded the medal of the Maecenas Guild and the Aurora Medal of the Provincial League of Fin-land-Proper. The Lehtinens bought the former primary school at Saramäki. Invited solo exhibition "From the Washington Series" at the Amos Anderson Art Museum in Helsinki. Invited solo exhibition at the Art Museum of South Karelia in Lappeenranta. Works on show in exhibitions in Finland and Poland.
1987 Lehtinen was filmed for the television programme "Kauko Lehtinen — painter" at Saramäki, Kuusinen and the Wäinö Aaltonen Museum. Commissioner of the exhibition of the Turku Week held in Leningrad, which included a large number of Lehtinen's own works. Participated in an exhibition in Finland.
1988 Awarded a supernumerary state artist pension. The tel¬evision programme on Lehtinen was broadcast in Au¬gust. Participated in two exhibitions in Finland.
1989 Invited solo exhibition at the Tikanoja Art Collection in Vaasa. Participated in the exhibition of the March group in Helsinki.
1992 Lehtinen was filmed at his studio for a documentary series on twelve Finnish artists. Participated in a related graphics portfolio entitled "Twelve Artists". Lehtinen made a series of 100 prints of "Happy Family" to support premature infant research at the Turku University Hospital. Participated in two exhibitions in Finland.
1993 The programme featuring Lehtinen in the artist-docu-mentary series was aired in November. Lehtinen was elected to the board of the Sara Hilden Foundation. Together with five other artists, Lehtinen participated in the portfolio of the St. Henry Chapel Association. Works on show in an exhibition in Finland.
1994 Elected to the board of the Purnu Foundation. Partici-pated in an exhibition in Finland.
1995 Awarded a state grant. Invited retrospective exhibition ( about 200 works) at the Turku Art Museum. A book was published in conjunction with it. Participated in two other exhibitions in Finland.
1997 The next retrospective exhibition of Lehtinen's work was held at the Kerava Art Museum in January-February , with some 200 paintings and 60 drawings on display. The exhibition continued later in the spring in a smaller format at the Rovaniemi Art Museum.
2001 Kauko's wife Anja died. Anja was a supporter and muse of Kauko's artistic work and the model and starting point for countless works. Anja had also taken care of Kauko's books, archives and scrapbooks throughout his career. Kauko Lehtinen has emphasised that his work as an artist was a project that the whole family undertook together: in many ways, Anja mandated that Kauko was able to concentrate on his artistic work.
2005 Lehtinen participated in the Labyrinth exhibition in Fiskars, bringing together artists from different generations of the family, with 15 works.
2008 Kauko Lehtinen's large retrospective exhibition will be held at the Wäinö Aaltonen Museum in the autumn. It has been 41 years since his last major exhibition at the Wäinö Aaltonen Museum.
2012 Kauko Lehtinen dies two days before his 87th birthday