A queer Helsinki love story: Tove Jansson and Tuulikki Pietilä
A remote island, a Presidential gala, and a Moomin character with a striped shirt – each plays a part in the quietly radical love story between Tove Jansson, iconic Moomin creator, and her life partner Tuulikki Pietilä. This is an invitation to walk through the legacy they built over five decades: through art studios, sea breezes, and the roots of what we now celebrate as queer Helsinki.
Together, against the odds
Tove Jansson (1914-2001) is a name many visitors to Finland already know, but behind her creative success lies another, equally world-shifting narrative: that of her lifelong love with graphic artist Tuulikki Pietilä (1917-2009). Together they were one of Finland’s most iconic queer couples.
Their relationship began in 1956, when same-sex relationships were still illegal in Finland, and lasted nearly five decades.
Though they didn’t wave flags, Tove and Tuulikki lived in full colour: as themselves, unashamed, and unapologetic, despite the laws. In 1992, they became the first same-sex couple to attend the Presidential Independence Day Reception.
Their relationship was one of mutual creativity: true artists of many passions, with separate but neighbouring studios in a building on Ullanlinnankatu. They worked alone, and together, with lives that looped into one another.
Like many Helsinkians today, in a city where everyone is free to be themselves, Tove Jansson and Tuulikki Pietilä were trailblazers, carving out a life that defied the binary – between city and nature, private and public, solitude and community.
Both their lives and art have left a lasting mark on the country’s queer legacy: everyone should be allowed to live in their own way. Today, that same sense of freedom lives on in the happiest capital of the world.
Queer love in a changing Helsinki
The Helsinki of the 1950s was recovering from war and reshaping its identity. For many people, the hard times were a reminder to celebrate and come together whenever possible – the city buzzed with cultural energy and art.
But the laws lagged behind. Homosexuality was decriminalised in 1971, and it wasn’t fully removed from the disease classification until 1981. Same-sex marriage was legalised in Finland in 2017.Tove Jansson always fell in love with the person, not their gender, and her city, Helsinki, played (and still plays) a leading role in advancing LGBTQ+ rights in the country. Join the Helsinki Gay Walk walking tour to learn more!
Moomins, metaphors, and meaning
The big-hearted themes of the Moomin stories continue to resonate around the world 80 years on – and if you know where to look, they’re quietly filled with queer subtext.
From Hemulens who always wear dresses to Sorry-Oo (a dog who secretly loves cats), and Too-ticky, a wise and calm character inspired by Tuulikki, Tove wove subtle expressions of her identity and life into her work.
Since the 1940s, the Moomin stories have offered comfort and recognition to generations of queer readers.
Places to visit: Tove and Tuulikki’s Helsinki
Tove and Tuulikki both studied in Paris and spent long stretches abroad, but Helsinki remained their creative anchor. It’s the city where they met, where their studios were just a small attic hallway apart, and where their art was shaped.
Tove studied at the Ateneum Art School (today the Ateneum Art Museum), while Tuulikki at the Academy of Fine Arts. The Helsinki Art Museum (HAM) is home to some of Tove’s large-scale murals.
In short: if you’re walking through Helsinki’s cultural core, you’re already tracing part of Tove and Tuulikki’s story.
Kunsthalle Helsinki: Where they met
Tove and Tuulikki first met at a Christmas party at the Helsinki Kunsthalle, a landmark exhibition hall that Tove was closely associated with for over 40 years. It remains a must-visit for contemporary art lovers.
Ullanlinna: Where they worked
The couple kept their workspaces close, literally: Tove and Tuulikki worked from the same building. Tove’s studio in Ullanlinnankatu 1 still exists but isn’t open to the public; but the surrounding neighbourhood is ideal for a picturesque walk.
Pohjoisranta: Where they set off to sea
Pohjoisranta is where young Tove would go ice skating in winter, and where she and Tuulikki later on caught the ferry to Pellinge, en route to their private island. The area offers beautiful seaside views.
Klovharun: Where they spent their summers
For nearly 30 summers, Tove and Tuulikki escaped to Klovharun, a small island in Pellinge, off the coast of Porvoo. They built a simple cabin with no electricity or running water, where they painted, wrote, and hosted friends.Today, the Klovharun cabin is preserved by the Pellinge community and serves as an artist residence during the summer. While the island is part of a protected nature reserve and generally not open to visitors, an Open House Week is organised every July.
Set off to the sea
Queer Helsinki: Pride, joy and resistance
Tove Jansson and Tuulikki Pietilä didn’t march with banners, but their life together was its own kind of protest.
Each June, Helsinki Pride turns the city into a celebration of queer joy, resistance, and community. The Pride Parade brings together nearly 100,000 people, culminating in a vibrant festival at Kaivopuisto Park. For locals and visitors alike, it’s a chance to reflect on how far things have come, and how much further there still is to go.But queer joy isn’t just for summer – the modern Helsinki queer culture shines bright throughout the year!
Come as you are
Tove and Tuulikki’s love story is one that speaks to anyone who’s ever lived outside the lines, or torn up the playbook entirely. As you walk the streets of Helsinki or take a ferry out into the archipelago, you’re invited to follow in their footsteps – not just as a Helsinki queer history lesson, but a reminder that there’s no one way to live, or love. Here in Helsinki, everyone is welcome. Come as you are.
