Särestöniemi Museum in Kaukonen in Kittilä introduces the art, childhood home, and working environment of Reidar Särestöniemi (1925-1981). The museum’s collection consists of nearly five hundred works by Särestöniemi, most of the oil and watercolor paintings and pastel drawings but also including wood drawings and etchings. In addition, the collection includes drawings, drafts, and sketchbooks. The exhibited works change once or twice a year following a thematic pattern.
Särestöniemi museum has been open to the public since 1985. Its operation is being maintained by Särestöniemi Museum Foundation. The basis of the museum’s collection is the donation made by Reidar Särestöniemi’s brother Anton Särestöniemi (1921-1997).
The Old Särestö is The Childhood Home of Reidar Särestöniemi. The farmhouse represents the traditional way of building in Northern Finland. The grandfather of Reidar Särestöniemi, Heikki Kaukonen, bought the farm in the late 19th century. The main building was built in 1873. The opposite building is a stall and next to it is a cow barn. The river is called the Ounasjoki River and before the road was built it was the only way to reach Särestö. The road was built in 1985 at the same time as the museum was founded.
