Ellen Thesleff: A Pioneer of Finnish Modernism Early Life and Education Born in Helsinki, Finland in 1869, Ellen Thesleff was the eldest of five siblings. Her father, an amateur painter, fostered her early artistic inclinations. She received private lessons before formally studying at the Finnish Art Society Drawing School (now the Finnish Academy of Fine Arts) from 1887 to 1889 under Gunnar Berndtson. In 1891, Thesleff moved t…