The partnership between Tove Jansson and Tuulikki Pietilä left a mark in both queer history and the world of arts. Through nearly 50 years together, the couple travelled the world and worked on numerous joint projects in literature, art, and life. Get to know their story here!
Tove Jansson met Tuulikki Pietilä at a Christmas party in 1955 and quickly realised this person would become special to her. Through art and a mutual curiosity towards the world, their connection blossomed into a lifelong companionship.
Together, they carved out a unique existence: spending idyllic summers on their secluded island of Klovharu, travelling the world, and nurturing their artistic talents from studios in the heart of Helsinki.
Their relationship influenced parts of the Moomin legacy, like the wise and practical Too-Ticky, for whom Tuulikki was a strong inspiration. The couple also artistically collaborated on several Moomin projects, like the legendary miniature Moominhouse and Tuulikki’s dozens of dioramas depicting life in Moominvalley.
Tove and Tuulikki’s queer legacy
Homosexuality was illegal in Finland until 1971, and yet, Tove and Tuulikki openly lived together since the 1950s. They were the first couple of the same gender to attend the Independence Day reception at the Presidential Palace in Finland in 1992.
Tuulikki wasn’t Tove’s first relationship with a woman – Tove fell in love with the person, not their gender – but she was the love of her life. In a letter from 1956, a year after the couple met, Tove wrote to Tuulikki:
“I feel like a garden that’s finally been watered, so my flowers can bloom.”
Tove Jansson was not an activist who stood on barricades, but the way she lived her life was a demonstration in itself – which is why, her life and art remain an inspiration for queer people around the world.
“There is a surprisingly large number of people who go around dreaming of an island”
The Nordic archipelago played an important role in Tove’s life and also made its way to the Moomin stories, from the Moomins’ love for the sea to the lighthouse island of the novel Moominpappa at Sea (1965).
Close to the age of 50, Tove fulfilled her dream of owning an island. Together with Tuulikki, she moved to the rocky Klovharu in the archipelago of Pellinge, Finland. Klovharu became the couple’s summer paradise for nearly 30 years and both artists found inspiration for much of their work there.
Artistic partnership
Alongside long summers on the island of Klovharu, Tove and Tuulikki travelled the world, documenting a lot of their trips on film. Travel was a big part of their lives from a young age, both having studied art abroad and lived in Paris.
The couple worked from their individual studios in the same central Helsinki building, working together and vicariously supporting each other’s individual careers—though it was a challenge at first for Tuulikki to adjust to Tove’s increasing fame.
Tuulikki Pietilä was one of Finland’s foremost graphic artists herself, with hundreds of solo exhibitions, a position as a Fine Arts teacher in Helsinki and books on her craft.
She also directly worked on some Moomin projects: in the early ‘90s, she designed the new Moomin figurines for Arabia, released together with the first-ever Moomin mugs. She also sculpted a Moomintroll statue found by the Moomin Museum in Tampere, Finland.
Tuulikki further had an important impact on the globalisation of the Moomin brand, supporting Tove with business management. Too-Ticky’s presence in Moominland Midwinter (1956), guiding Moomintroll through his first winter awake, is a reference to this real-life dynamic.
Tove Jansson passed away in 2001 and Tuulikki Pietilä in 2009.
Tove Jansson’s gay legacy – queer content on Moomin.com
Indulge in stories about Tove Jansson’s gay legacy on moomin.com! The Moomin creator was openly gay during times when openness was not easy.
Who is Too-ticky based on?
Too-Ticky real life inspiration was Tove Jansson’s long-term life partner, Tuulikki Pietilä. Tuulikki was a renowned Finnish graphic artist.
Tove Jansson’s artistic career
Tove Jansson was a talented artist long before the Moomin stories. Get to know her career as a painter, illustrator, writer and cartoonist!