The history of the Mannerheim Museum since 1951 has seen a wide range of perspectives on Marshal's life. During the time of the first curator, O.R. Bäckman, cards of condolences and wreath ribbons were put on display, among other things. The layout of the actual home for the public to see had also required an arrangement and the exclusion of the former resident's most private belongings was necessary. Key to this work were two housekeepers.
The actual themed exhibitions only began to be created later as the exhibition activity became more scientific and with the re-arrangement of the second-floor showrooms in the 1970’s. Over the years, exhibitions have presented an insight to e.g. Mannerheim’s expeditions, wars, residences, horses and cars. Themes related to his Asian expedition have been especially often on show.
The museum has since 2013 especially created special exhibitions at quite a dense pace. Exhibition policy has shifted from memorial exhibitions and key stages in Mannerheim’s life, to a more thematic and problematizing direction. At the same time, the museum has not only tried to emphasise the most serious subjects and the lighter themes, but also the social and cultural dimensions that can be found in the life of the museum's target person and in a limited space present them as small studies utilizing original material and contextualizing.
The exhibition working groups have balanced between civilian and military as well as national and international themes and therefore engaged more of the personnel and worked together with a number of different cooperating entities. In 2016 an exhibition designed in cooperation with students from the University of Helsinki was built for the first time, an exhibition which adopted an outside point of view on Mannerheim.
Events such as salons, special guided tours and debates have been organised linked to the special exhibitions. Creating exhibitions abroad has continued lately with different associates and in collaboration with other museums, a tradition which started in the 1990s.
2013 Mannerheim the reader. The Marshal’s library. Curator: Kristina Ranki.
2014 Mannerheim 1914. Committee: Alex Kransman, Marja Englund and Wilhelm Brummer.
2014 Mannerheim on ground, sea and in the air. Committee: Wilhelm Brummer et al.
2015 The Flame and the Sword. Mannerheim and the university. Curator: Kristina Ranki.
2016 The Marshal lives! Committee: Kristina Ranki, prof. Hanna Korsberg and students of theatre studies, the University of Helsinki.
2017 Entourages – Gustaf Mannerheim, life and networks 1867-1951. Committee: Kristina Ranki, Wilhelm Brummer, Toni Piipponen, Marja Englund and Alex Kransman.
2017 Karl Fazer and Gustaf Mannerheim – a historic friendship. In the Fazer visitor centre. Curator: Toni Piipponen.
2017 The Russian books of Gustaf Mannerheim. In the Finnish Institute in St. Petersburg. Committee: Kristina Ranki and Alex Kransman.
2017 Mannerheim’s books -an exhibition in the Helsinki Book Fair. Committee: Kristina Ranki and Toni Piipponen.
2017 Gustaf Mannerheim, a photo exhibition. Warsaw, Muzeum Lazienki Królewskie. In collaboration with the embassy of Finland in Poland.
2018 Mannerheim: Cross and icon. Church, religions and the other side. Committee: Chaplain General Pekka Särkiö, Kristina Ranki, museum director Miia-Leena Tiili, Wilhelm Brummer and Toni Piipponen.
2019 The Flame and the Sword. Mannerheim and the university. In the Helsinki univeristy museum. Committee: Kristina Ranki, Toni Piipponen, Liisa Oikari and show manager Pia Vuorikoski.
2019 Interrex. Gustaf Mannerheim and Finland 1919. Committee: Kristina Ranki, Toni Piipponen, Liisa Oikari, Martin Pettersson, Wilhelm Brummer and Alex Kransman.
2020 Gentilhomme. Patterns of elegance. Committee: Markus Nordström, Toni Piipponen and Liisa Oikari.
2021 Illustres – National icons and international fame. Committee: Kristina Ranki, Elina Seppälä, Toni Piipponen, Liisa Oikari and Eira Aalto.
2022 Influential images - Committee: Liisa Oikari, Toni Piipponen and Eira Aalto.