Unlocking the Untold Journey of Tove Jansson: A Riveting Exhibition on Moomins Creator's Life
Discover the extraordinary life of Tove Jansson, the Finnish artist behind the beloved Moomin characters Unveiled in Paris, this captivating exhibition uncovers the lesser-known facets of Jansson's artistry and showcases her as a bold, visionary female artist
Internationally renowned for the Moomin characters, a new exhibition in Paris delves into the lesser-known facets of the Finnish artist who brought them to life.
Offering an intimate perspective, the show provides a deeper understanding of Tove Jansson's life, exploring her prolific artistry and her advocacy for female empowerment. Showcasing previously unseen artifacts, the exhibition sheds light on the complexities of Jansson as a female and queer artist who defied societal norms, operating in a predominantly male-dominated world during the tumultuous years surrounding World War II.
Tove Jansson's "Smoking Girl (Self portrait)", painted in 1940. © Tove Jansson Estate.
The exhibition showcases Jansson as a versatile individual who could create art from various mediums, including illustrations, cartoons, photography, music, writings, and letters.
An outspoken and visionary female artist
"From an early age, she knew she wanted to be an artist, there was something unwavering about it," said Thomas Zambra, one of Janssons grandnephews in an interview with CNN.
Art was a calling that Jansson embraced from the beginning, receiving support from her artistic parents. Her mother, Signe Hammarsten, was a renowned Finnish illustrator, while her father, Viktor Jansson, achieved great fame as a sculptor.
Tove Jansson's initial opportunity to establish herself arose at the young age of 15, when her mother had to travel to Stockholm and entrusted her with the task of creating a cover illustration for a children's magazine. This marked the beginning of her notable artistic career.
Tove Jansson's Moomin character "Little My" paper doll. Her Moomin drawings were debuted in the satirical political magazine 'Garm'.
Courtesy The Community and Moomin Characters Ltd.
A year later, Jansson began her art studies in Stockholm. At the age of 24 in 1938, she moved to Paris to further pursue her education at the prestigious École des Beaux Arts. The themes of nature, particularly the sea, islands, and coasts of Scandinavia, played a significant role in both Jansson's paintings and writing. Her summers spent in the Stockholm archipelago, influenced by her Swedish-speaking minority background in Finland, sparked her dream of having her own island.
However, the Second World War proved to be a challenging period for Jansson, often referred to as the "lost years" of her life. As a humanist and pacifist, her paintings during this time portrayed a subdued color palette. Meanwhile, her two brothers joined the war effort, which can be seen in an exhibition where she painted a somber oil portrait featuring her brother in a military uniform. While working for the satirical political magazine "Garm," Jansson fearlessly criticized enemy powers and political leaders, including Hitler and Stalin.
The period was a significant turning point in Tove Jansson's career, despite its dark aspects. In 1941, she was recognized as one of the funniest Nordic caricaturists. It was within the pages of "Garm" that she introduced the initial sketches of her Moomin-inspired characters.
Tove Jansson's "Landscape (Picnic)." For her, art provided a welcome escape from reality.
Courtesy The Community and Moomin Characters Ltd.
A life of ones own
In 1942, Jansson relocated from her family residence to establish her own studio in Helsinki. Despite the dilapidation resulting from war bombings, this studio emerged as a vital and influential space for her as both a freelance illustrator and artist.
The exhibition displays a variety of illustrations created by her, including pieces for J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit" and Lewis Carroll's "Alice in Wonderland". Later, she discovered a new studio in the city center where she resided and worked until her death in 2001, at the age of 86. This location was vital to Jansson's creativity, as it was where she crafted her initial Moomin fairytales book, published in 1945. This project served as an avenue for Jansson to immerse herself in fantasy and evade the demands of reality.
Why Remedios Varo, one of the three enchanting figures of surrealism, continues to captivate audiences.
Following this, an additional 12 Moomin books were released within the next two decades, weaving tales of tolerance and love – universal principles that established Jansson as a renowned author worldwide. The new exhibition showcases a combination of early, intricate pencil sketches and later Moomin illustrations.
By the conclusion of World War II, Jansson had established herself as a forward-thinking and trailblazing individual in both her professional and personal spheres. Continuously defying societal norms that confined women to domestic duties and child-rearing, she shattered expectations and emerged as a beacon of modernity and visionary thinking.
"In the heat of the stove," a work by Jansson from the 1950s.
Courtesy The Community and Moomin Characters Ltd.
Opposing the war and avoiding marriage, she wished to shield her children from the horrors of conflict and prevent her son from being conscripted into unavoidable wars. Defying societal gender norms, Jansson prioritized her career and embraced her identity as a queer woman, even though such expressions were illegal during that era.
Residing in the same apartment building, her life partner, Tuulikki Pietilä, would visit her directly through an attic passage. In 1964, they fulfilled Jansson's long-standing dream of purchasing an uninhabited island in the Finnish Pellinge archipelago. For nearly 30 summers, the couple dedicated themselves to creating art on the island, which is also showcased in the exhibition.
In a CNN interview, Tuukka Laurila, the founder of "The Community," an art institution based in Paris that curated the exhibition, recounted a remarkable moment of Jansson and Pietilä living their lives. He shared that he listened to an audio tape of the duo dancing in their house on the island. The exhibition includes mixtapes that Jansson and Pietilä created, capturing their travels, favorite music, and the island's sounds. Zambra fondly remembered how Jansson approached every aspect of her life from an artistic perspective, giving each task her full attention and dedication.
Laurila expressed, "Working on someone so incredibly talented and innovative gives me chills. Their work remains timeless and continues to inspire artists even today."
The exhibition titled "Houses of Tove Jansson" can be found at Espace Mont-Louis in Paris's 11th arrondissement. Entry is free, but registration is necessary.
