Next year Finland celebrates its 100th anniversary of independence and, therefore, will get the official Finland 100 wine series. The Finland 100 project has granted the official Finland 100 -status to Altia’s Wine Gallery Suomi Finland 100 wines.
Tove Jansson’s frescoes adorn the labels
The earliest Tove Jansson drawings are from the year of Finland’s independence when Jansson was only three years old. Tove Jansson’s 100th anniversary was celebrated in 2014, and, her being one of Finland’s best-known and loved international artists, her works rightfully adorn the labels of the jubilee wines – the frescoes painted in 1947, Party in the City and Party in the Countryside.
Party in the City
Photo: Helsinki Art Museum, Maija Toivanen
With the colorful frescoes painted in the dining room of the Helsinki City Hall, Jansson wanted to describe the ‘joie de vivre’, a cheerful enjoyment of life that was needed in a post-war country. Especially the fresco Party in the City describes Jansson’s own feelings at that time; parties were a great way to escape the harsh reality.
Party in the Countryside
Photo: Helsinki Art Museum, Maija Toivanen
In turn, the fresco Party in the Countryside is described as a paradise-like idyll of the countryside with relaxed people and a violinist playing in the background. Paintings were originally made for Helsinki City Hall, and the frescos were moved to the lobby of Arbis, the Swedish-language adult education centre in Helsinki. In 2014 Ateneum borrowed the frescos for the Tove Jansson exhibition, and Arbis got high-quality copies for their premises. After renovation, the original frescoes have been relocated to HAM, Helsinki Art Museum, so that they can be maintained in good condition in the future.
The wines for supporting young Finnish artists
Altia Wine Gallery Wines supports young Finnish artists through Helsinki Art Museum. By purchasing the wines, a part of the revenue will be donated to charity to support young artists.
Photo: Altia