Counsellor for Cultural Affairs, Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts, Museum Director Emerita. Tuula Arkio was born in Helsinki in 1943. She received a Master's degree in the History of Art from Helsinki University in 1968. From 1962-1968, while studying for her degree, Arkio was employed as assistant at the Gallen-Kallela Museum, and in the Department of Art History at Helsinki University. She went on to work at Ateneum (the Finnish National Gallery) first as curator from 1968 to 1970, then as chief curator 1970-1980, and finally as Deputy Director from 1984 to 1990. Tuula Arkio served as Director of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Helsinki from 1990 to 2000. She was made Director of the National Art Galleries (Ateneum, Kiasma, Sinebrychoff, and the Central Archive of Art) in 2000, which position she held until 2006. Arkio has curated several important exhibitions, including the major international exhibitions ARS 83, ARS 95 and ARS 01 in Helsinki. Her expertise is much sought after, and she has held and continues to hold several positions of trust in the field of art and art museums in Finland. She served as a member of the Carnegie Art Award jury in Stockholm 1998-2000. She is an honorary member of CIMAM and the University of Art and Design Helsinki and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Fine Arts in 2006.