On a mild fall day in Helsinki, “Tove Jansson—Paradise” opened at Helsinki Art Museum. Curated by Heli Harni and in partnership with the Tove Jansson Estate and Moomin Characters Ltd, the exhibition showcases the artist’s career as a painter and public muralist. Though Jansson is internationally known for her delightful and ubiquitous Moomintrolls, they are also just a part of Jansson’s greater oeuvre as a deftly skilled painter, writer, illustrator, and muralist.
Jansson’s interdisciplinary talents had no boundaries. As she painted large-scale murals in factories, kindergartens, and restaurants, she told stories with exquisitely colored compositions for the public to enjoy. These mythical, fantastical worlds emanated a sense of peace and joy and are a window into the richness of her imagination. In “Paradise,” we finally get to see these works in focus and on center stage. Harni sat down with Whitewall to discuss this incredible, once-in-a-lifetime exhibition.
Tove Jansson painting. © Eva Konikoff.
WHITEWALL: Tove Jansson was drawing the moment she could hold a pen and was encouraged by her parents to pursue the life of an artist. She published drawings in publications as early as 15 years old, and was commissioned for large-scale public works by her early thirties. What can you tell us about Tove’s life as an artist that led up to her being considered for these large public works, before the Moomintrolls really took off?
HELI HARNI: Tove received many of her public commissions through her connections—family acquaintances and relationships with architects. She rarely participated in public competitions, which at that time were predominantly dominated by men, who often secured work through such contests. Gradually, Tove began receiving larger and more demanding commissions. Her studies in decorative arts in Stockholm helped her develop a sense of space and scale in architectural projects. During her student years, she also created large-scale stage decorations for events and parties, though none of these have survived to the present day. The preservation of such works, especially during wartime, was challenging, and storing them in places like the attic of the Jansson family’s home in Lallukka posed fire hazards.
All in all, her studies in decorative arts in Stockholm were beneficial for executing these projects, as were her student practice works, such as the wall painting on her relatives’ balcony in Germany, stage decorations for events and parties, as well as early commissions, which were successful in terms of both materials and techniques, even when using scarce resources during wartime. We can find some mystical, intensely surrealistic fairytale paintings of Jansson’s early career, in which strange colors and intense tonal contrasts transport the viewer into a dreamlike narrative beyond reality.
In 1946 Jansson was already an independent practitioner who still largely relied on art sales and illustrations for her livelihood, but by the end of the 1940s, public commissions brought her long-craved financial relief. A steady flow of commissions also enabled her to purchase the tower studio by taking out a 1,200,000 mark bank loan in 1952.
Tove Jansson in her studio in Helsinki around 1948. © Per Olov Jansson.
Finding Personal Sanctuary in Art and Nature
WW: Tove happened to live during an incredibly tumultuous and fascinating time in Finland’s history; you see its declared independence, the two world wars, switching from allegiance with Germany to fighting against the Nazis, and all the while maintaining a social democracy and universal suffrage. What impact do you think this particular time period had on Tove’s artistic output in her public works and paintings?
HH: The time period as well as the time period’s impact on Tove Jansson’s personal life most definitely have influcenced her artistic output. There were times when Jansson dreamed of an existence far away from Finland. Daydreaming became her escape from the gloom and hardships of war. Through art, she alleviated wartime anxiety by creating joyful refuges and secret hideaways in happy gardens and remote valleys, the most famous of which was of course Moominvalley. Later, she found a different kind of private sanctuary in the Pellinge archipelago, where she drew comfort from the sea, an element dear to her since childhood. The Jansson family had enjoyed the paradise of the archipelago during the summers, and maritime themes and nature are recurrent in Tove Jansson’s work, including her wall paintings.
On the eve of the Second World War, with assignments growing scarce, Jansson began painting decorative, paradise-themed compositions on ravenduck canvas. During the reconstruction period after the war, the public commissions moreover offered a new type of audience with whom she could share a momentary escape into idyllic worlds of storybook fantasy.
“Through art, she alleviated wartime anxiety by creating joyful refuges and secret hideaways in happy gardens and remote valleys, the most famous of which was of course Moominvalley,”
Heli HarniTove Jansson: Self-Portrait with Wicker Chair, 1937. Private Collection. © Tove Jansson Estate. Photo: Didrichsen Art Museum / Rauno Träskelin.
Imaginative Storytelling at the Heart of Tove Jansson’s Works
WW: Tove was a prolific writer, cartoonist, illustrator, as well as painter. How did her penchant for writing and storytelling help her plan these large-scale murals?
HH: Storytelling and Tove Jansson’s works are so heavily connected that it’s hard to distinguish whether it helps the planning of the murals, or do planning of the murals help the storytelling. The imagination is always there. In the early 1930s, a young Tove Jansson drew the first version of the Moomins in the archipelago of Pellinge, on the wall of an outdoor toilet, as a means of communication with her family. The Moomins gradually appeared in more public spaces throughout the 1940s, as Jansson allowed her characters to feature in her public murals. The Moomins can be seen in some of Jansson’s wall paintings as independent figures, serving either as the artist’s signature or as participants in the narrative of the mural, interconnected as a cohesive character gallery that advances the story. Jansson painted Moomins for her large-scale commissioned works in spaces designed for adults, such as restaurant and representative venues, as well as in public areas aimed at children and young people. For example, in the frescoes she created for the City Hall’s restaurant, Kaupunginkellari, which are part of the HAM Helsinki Art Museum’s collection, titled Party in the Countryside and Party in the City (1947), Jansson painted a Moomin as an alter ego or pseudonym, similar to how she had begun illustrating Moomins for the satirical magazine Garm a few years earlier.
Tove Jansson: “Bird Blue,” 1953 (detail). © Tove Jansson Estate. Photo: HAM / Maija Toivanen.
Placing Tove Jansson in Dialogue with 20th Century Women Artists
WW: Though Tove enjoyed plenty of recognition for the Moomins in her lifetime, her earlier works and practices are much less well known and we are finally getting to know her as the prolific painter that she was. How do you see Tove Jansson fitting in as an artist in the greater scheme of overlooked women artists in the 20th century, such as fellow children’s book illustrator Wanda Gág or Elizabeth Catlett?
HH: Tove Jansson’s recognition for the Moomins has often overshadowed the full scope of her artistic career. A multidimensional creator, she worked across illustration, painting, and public art, yet her legacy is mostly tied to her most commercially successful work. By showcasing her lesser-known paintings and public works, we reveal the depth of her talent and place her in conversation with other 20th-century women artists who are finally gaining the recognition they deserve. This exhibition helps emphasize her legacy within this broader narrative of brilliant but historically overlooked women artists.
“This exhibition helps emphasize her legacy within this broader narrative of brilliant but historically overlooked women artists,”
Heli Harni
WW: Are there any artists you can think of working today who are influenced by Tove?
HH: There are certainly artists today who draw inspiration from Tove Jansson’s imaginative spirit, and a wonderful example is Norwegian artist Tori Wrånes. Tori’s work, much like Tove’s, is filled with imagination, humor, and a sense of joy, making her a fitting artistic counterpart. Her current exhibition, right beside our grand hall showcasing Tove’s work, creates an inspiring dialogue between the two. While working at HAM during the installation period, Tori also said how she “owes her life” to Tove—not just as a creative influence but as a brave role model and queer artist who paved the way for others to express themselves fully. These two exhibitions together offer a rich exploration of artistic freedom and the blending of fantasy and reality.
Tove Jansson: “Party in the City,” 1947. © Tove Jansson Estate. Photo: HAM / Hanna Kukorelli.
