Tove Jansson: Still-life, 1939. Signed. Oil on masonite. 50 x 65 cm. Estimate: DKK 350,000 – DKK 400,000

Art by the Multi-talented Tove Jansson

Swedish-speaking Finnish author Tove Jansson is famous worldwide as the woman behind the puzzling Moomins universe. At the Live Auction in Lyngby, we encounter another side of her – as an artist with a beautiful still-life from 1939, where her passion for colour shines through.

At Bruun Rasmussen we have never before featured paintings by Tove Jansson (1914–2001), so we are looking forward to presenting her painting as part of our Themed Auction, “Pioneering Women Artists” on 4 March at 7 pm at Nørgaardsvej 3, Lyngby.

In the still-life going under the hammer, bright blue and fiery rusty red contrast strongly with each other, while orange and delicate rose create range. The perspective is pushed right into the foreground, giving the motif presence. It burns into the retina with an intensity that is enhanced by the many objects on the table: A vase decorated with stylised grapes, a knife, recently used to artfully peel an orange, balanced on the edge of the table, a dog-like creature, crisp, green-red apples and fresh flowers. The work bears witness to a time in the late 1930s when Tove Jansson spent some time in Paris, allowing herself to be inspired by the French Colourists and Impressionists.

“Every still-life, every landscape, every canvas is a self-portrait!”
Tove Jansson

From Moomins to Paintings

Tove Jansson is primarily known for her books based on tales of the mystical creatures of Moominvalley, which first saw the light of day in the mid-1940s. Here, she builds on the innate curiosity of children to discover and understand the world, and Jansson’s imaginative universe strikes a balance between idyll and eeriness, vitality and melancholy, magic and everyday life. However, Tove Jansson was so much more than the creator of the Moomins – she had a highly productive artistic career. Just as in her books, we find that same open, personal sensuality expressed in her visual art, as can be seen in her diverse works, which range from surrealist paintings to modernist, experimental and lyrical works. Tove Jansson is today considered one of Finland’s most important artists of the period.

An Unconventional Life

Growing up in her artistic parents’ home, Tove Jansson was, from the outset, a rare bird who undauntedly followed her own path. It was clear from an early age that painting was her passion in life. At the age of 16, Tove Jansson began her art studies in Stockholm, later continuing her education at the Ateneum in Helsinki.

Tove Jansson, c. 1970. Photo: Per Olov Jansson

Before and during the war, she provided critical satire for the political magazine Garm and courageously protested against Finland’s collaboration with Nazi Germany. Just like her Moomins – despite their outward naivety – here she warned against the consequences of war and xenophobia. Tolerance, diversity and joy of life in interaction with the dark and antagonistic thus remained the essence of her literature as well as her art. In her private life, too, her path was unconventional. The position, independence, creativity and equality of women were particularly important to her. She questioned ingrained thought patterns and prejudices – not as a vociferous agitator, but as a quiet revolutionary whose entire existence was in line with her beliefs. Her life, art and love were thus closely linked. As a young woman, she had relationships with both men and women, but she spent the last 30 years of her life with the graphic artist Tuulikki Pietilä, who is celebrated in the Moomin universe by way of the character Too-Ticky.