Tove Jansson: Party and Play

Tove Jansson (1914–2001) was an artistic multi-talent. She was an artist, writer, cartoonist, illustrator and scriptwriter, best known as the creator of the Moomins.

Helsinki City Hall’s new restaurant opened in 1947. Jansson was commissioned to “decorate its walls”, as was the custom at that time. For the commission, Jansson drafted two large, party-themed wall paintings. After the drafts were approved, Jansson finished the paintings in just six months. Niilo Suihko, who had studied fresco painting in Italy, assisted her at the beginning. Both Party in the Countryside and Party in the City are a combination of the fresco and al secco techniques, and Tove’s father, sculptor Viktor Jansson, was involved in developing their technical implementation.

Today, the paintings are part of HAM’s collection and they are permanently on public display. The gallery lamps Paavo Tynell designed illuminated the frescos already in their original location in the Kaupunginkellari Restaurant.

In Healing Play, you can explore the paintings Tove Jansson made for the Aurora Hospital and take a photo of yourself with the characters in the paintings. You can also stop to admire an animation based on the illustrations from the book Midsummer Madness or put together a jigsaw puzzle made up of large pieces.