Groundbreaking exhibition on Tove Jansson’s public art opens in Helsinki

'Tove Jansson: Paradise' at the Helsinki Art Museum (HAM) marks the first time that Jansson’s public paintings have been collectively displayed. Although Jansson, who died in 2001, is best known for creating the Moomins, the exhibition in the Finnish capital shifts the traditional focus to offer a comprehensive overview of the murals she created on commission during the 1940s and 1950s – largely in her native Helsinki – spotlighting her relatively little-known contributions to the mural genre. 

These range in scale from small decorative pieces to monumental frescoes and, notably, six large charcoal drawings – discovered in Jansson’s studio and never before exhibited – offer unique insights into her creative process.

Most of Jansson’s public murals were created during the post-war reconstruction period – a time when her imaginary worlds offered a needed idyllic escape from the horrors of war – and primarily in settings designed for children, such as a kindergarten and an elementary school. They take visitors back to a time before the global rise of the Moomins which, until the 1990s, were only widely known among Finland’s Swedish-speaking minority. 'The Moomins and the Great Flood', for example, was not even translated into Finnish until 1991.

Although the exhibition focuses on work before ‘Moominmania’ truly took hold, the beloved characters do make appearances in many of the murals: keep your eyes peeled.

Additional insights into Jansson’s inner world can be found in a selection of works from HAM’s Leonard and Katarina Bäcksbacka Collection, alongside photographs, videos, and a recently completed documentary focusing on her altarpiece at Teuva Church.

'Tove Jansson: Paradise' runs at Helsinki Art Museum until 6 April 2025.