Lönnrot's Kalevala has inspired Finnish artists since the mid 19th century. Successive generations have interpreted the work's stories and characters in their own way. Certain works based on it have come to be much-loved cultural icons. Its themes continue to provide a wealth of material through which artists can address fundamental human and cultural issues.

2009 marks the 160th anniversry of the Kalevala. The Ateneum Art Museum is contributing to discussion of the work's role in Finnish culture by staging a major exhibition of art on Kalevala themes and by publishing this book, The Kalevala in Images.