Väinö Armas Kamppuri was born in Kolikkoinmäki, Vyborg in 1891, the fourth of six children of Pekka Kamppuri and Anna Maria os Okkonen. The family lived in Vyborg in rented apartments, moving almost every year, until they settled in Kolikkoinmäki.

     He began his art studies at Vyborg's drawing school in 1907 and continued at the Finnish Art Association's drawing school from 1912−1914. Following his father's death in March 1914, Kamppuri dropped out of school in the middle of the last semester and failed to achieve a completion certificate. 

     He became a photography retoucher and painter with the help of Rurik Lindgvist, the director of Viipur's art drawing school. At the age of 21 he had saved enough money to move to Helsinki and attend the Ateneum art association's drawing school. In his second year there he studied under the artist Hugo Simberg.

     The ten-year period after his studies was a time that Kamppuri himself referred to as ‘bohemian’. In his memoirs the artist recalled the restlessness of life from this period with frequent and rapid changes in residence. Fellow artist Mikko Carlstedt recalled that in 1914, he, Ilmari Aalto, and Kamppuri lived for a couple of months as a trio, first at the "Fredriksberg crossroads" and then on the steps of Töölöntor. Because they had no firewood and no money between them, they burned the fence around the house to stay warm. Later they lived together in a shack in the village of Pasila oila where they were said to be so poor that had to alternately share the single pair of shoes they owned when going into town.

     Friend and fellow artist Ilmari Aalto had a great influence in Kamppuri’s art. Aalto was for Kamppuri and many of his other colleagues, a filter and interpreter of the art trends of the time. During this ‘bohemian’ period the artist did participate in exhibitions sporadically but received little recognition or fanfare from critics.

     His life started to change in the year 1924. He began to receive public recognition for his works, and as he put it later, “pull himself together and leave life's artistic experiments behind.” That same year he was also accepted as a member of the Society of Finnish Artists. A breakthrough in his work coincided with a change in attitude, “(I) decidied to say no to compromises and start researching for my work and to paint the Finnish landscape without caring if I could sell works or not.”

    In 1924 he rented an apartment from Kallio, and then purchased it a year later. That same year he met Lempi Matilda Taipale and they married the following year.

In 1926 he held his first solo exhibition and received many favorable reviews from critics. In the same spring, Kamppuri received a state grant, which he used to support his next exhibition in Helsinki.

     In 1927 he received a travel grant that allowed him to go to Paris and see the works of the Impressionists, and also to Spain where he was highly influenced by the works of the Spanish Masters Jusepe de Ribera, EI Greco and Francisco de Goya. His new work, inspired by his travels provided much needed encouragement as well as several additional grants in the following years.

     Another breakthrough came in February 1930 when the artist arranged his second solo exhibition in Helsinki. Favorable reviews led to purchases by public collections including a purchase made by the Ateneum (Later the Finnish National Gallery).

     Following a divorce, the 1930s were considerd wandering years for the artist. In the winter, he mainly lived in boarding houses or hotels in Helsinki as he preferred rented rooms. He spent summers on painting trips in the countryside.

      In 1938 the artist received some new life. An acquaintance with Dr. Toivo Ylitalo eventually led to the purchase of a villa in Mierola. After settling in his villa Kamppuri, amused by the play on words, called himself “Mierola's master”. In 1942 the artist married Alli Amalia Peltomaa.

      Kamppuri’s reputation was on solid ground during the early 1940s. As a visible recognition of his artistic achievements, several notable awards and grants were given. In 1944 he received the Kalevala jubilee scholarship, in 1953 a three-year state art grant, and in 1958 the recognition award of the Finnish Cultural Fund. In 1954 Kamppuri was awarded the Pro Finlandia medal, and in 1967 he received from the State the title and rank of Professor.

      In 1972 Kamppuri was diagnosed with lung cancer and passed away at his home in July of that year. The artist is represented in these public institutions:

• Alvar Aalto Museum

• Amos Anderson Art Museum

• Ateneum Art Museum (Finnish National Gallery)

• Helsinki City Art Museum

• Hämeenlinna Art Museum

• Imatra Art Museum

• K.H. Renlund Art Museum, Kokkola

• Gösta Serlachius Art Museum, Mänttä

• Orimattila art collections

• Rauma Art Museum

• Hieka Art Museum, Tampere

• Tampere Art Museum

• Turku Art Museum

• Villa Gyllenberg, Helsinki

• Veli Aineen Foundation, Tornio

• Kanta-Hämeen' Regional Savings Bank, Hämeenlinna

• Kansallis-Osake-Pankki

• Lahti Savings Bank