Jansson’s Estate presents one of the largest exhibitions exploring the artist’s oeuvre and legacy.  The exhibition provides new takes on the Tove Jansson’s heritage as seen through the eyes of a diverse group of contemporary artists.

Tove Jansson (1914–2001) was a Finnish writer and illustrator who is best known as the creator of the Moomins. Jansson’s Estate presents one of the largest exhibitions exploring Tove Jansson’s oeuvre and legacy, Houses of Tove Jansson.  Her work is in dialogue with works of art by a select group of contemporary artists including Carlotta Bailly-Borg, Anne Bourse, Vidya Gastaldon, Elmgreen & Dragset, Ida Ekblad, Emma Kohlmann, and Cerith Wyn Evans.

The Moomins, Jansson’s most famous series first published in 1945 and is still widely read. The Moomin stories were also a way for Jansson to pay homage to the women she loved romantically, in a time when it was illegal to be a lesbian, thus challenging the stereotypes and preconceptions of women.

Her former partner Vivica Bandler appears alongside Jansson as the characters Thingumy and Bob, two inseparable creatures who keep a red ruby hidden in a suitcase (a metaphor for forbidden love). Later, you find her long-term partner, Tuulikki (Tooti) Pietilä, in Moominland Midwinter as the brave Too-Ticky, a character who becomes Moomintroll’s close friend and reliable advisor.

Although identifying as a ‘Feminist’ wasn’t something Tove did explicitly, Sarah Janssonn, niece of Tove Jansson states that she was a feminist “in every sense of the word.” Today, her impact on generations of readers and young people, encouraging queer people and women to challenge conventions with their creativity, imagination and the love they hold in their relationships is celebrated.

The exhibition Houses of Tove Jansson takes place in a former print house in the 11th arrondissement of Paris, where different sections of the house present various chapters in Jansson’s life. Each section, or room, melds elements from her personal life with her artistic output. Houses of Tove Jansson reveals never publicly seen archive material from the late artist, including a number of Moomin sketches.

Houses of Tove Jansson is on show till October 29, 2023. The exhibition is curated by the Parisian art institution, The Community, in collaboration with Tove Jansson’s estate and Moomin Characters.

Houses of Tove Jansson is be free but requires registration – sign up here.

8 Impasse de Mont Louis
75011 Paris
www.tovejansson.com

Open Tuesday to Sunday from 12pm to 8pm