The first major conference on the history of art historical research in Finland was arranged in October 2005. The conference committee decided to concentrate mainly on early professionals in the field and on their interpretation of art. As art research in Finland is a young field with few researchers, the result has been the marked personification of the whole field, with different generations of researchers focusing on only a few influential figures. They operated simultaneously in many different roles, shaping views on what was good art both nationally and internationally. The study and analysis of their art discourse will also shape our understanding of how and why their "story" of art was told to Finns and international colleagues.