Tove Jansson´s 100th Anniversary

Tove Jansson (1914-2001), a painter, illustrator, author and the creator of the much-loved Moomin books, became one of the key artists in Finnish visual art during the postwar golden age of modernism. Jansson wanted to create art in her own terms, but only few have accomplished this with such originality.

Tove 100 Foto: © Moomin Characters™

Tove Jansson was brought up by artistic parents, and her father, sculptor Viktor Jansson always hoped that his daughter would grow up to be an artist, as well. Indeed, watching and learning from her parents, Tove followed their example and pursued an artistic career as an author, painter, graphic artist, caricaturist and comic strip writer.

Jansson is best known as the author of the Moomin books. She wrote altogether nine Moomin books, the first of which, Moomin and the Great Flood, was published just after the Second World War in 1946. Although it was the Moomin books that brought Tove worldwide fame and adoration, she felt that they sidelined her career as a painter.

Jansson transformed and expanded her expression tirelessly up to the last years of her life. Her works are a reflection of an entire life philosophy, eliciting enthusiastic responses from children and adults alike in all countries where her works are known.

Jansson’s immense international success made her one of the best-known Finnish artist in the world. The year 2014, with Jansson’s 100th anniversary, is another great opportunity to take a new look at her entire body of work.

To celebrate her anniversary, a Tove 100 website portraying her art and life from different perspectives has now been opened. 

Read more:
Tove 100(Link to another website.)
Tove 100 Facebook(Link to another website.)

Tove Jansson Virtual Museum(Link to another website.)