Over 1,400 individual pieces of art were bequeathed to the Ateneum by Tuulikki Pietilä upon her death in 2009. Born in Seattle in 1917 to Finnish parents, she returned to Finland during her youth, establishing a career that spanned decades as a painter, teacher, graphic designer, and graphic artist.
Artistic Training and Education
Pietilä began her formal artistic education at the Turku School of Drawing in 1933, attending until 1936. She continued her studies at the drawing school of the Finnish Art Association through 1940. Following the war, she expanded her technical repertoire at Konstfack in Stockholm, where she studied from 1945 to 1949. Her formative years concluded with a period of study at the Fernand Léger Art Academy in Paris between 1949 and 1953, a time that saw her master metal engraving, lithography, serigraphy, and woodcut techniques.
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Her professional career included significant contributions to the field of graphic arts, both as a practitioner and an educator. She held a teaching position at the Academy of Fine Arts in Helsinki, eventually earning the rank of professor in 1982. Beyond the classroom, she authored numerous books on graphic arts. Her work, which frequently utilized styles ranging from realism to cubism, reached public audiences through her first student exhibition in 1935, followed by a private exhibition in 1951. She was a long-term participant in the Purnu group's summer exhibitions, which hosted a retrospective of her career in 1986.
Collaborations and Public Life
Pietilä maintained a lifelong partnership with author and artist Tove Jansson, beginning in 1955 and lasting until Jansson's death in 2001. Their creative collaboration included 43 three-dimensional Moomin-themed pieces, now held by the Moomin Museum in Tampere. Pietilä also documented their summers on the island of Klovharun through hours of film footage, which served as the foundation for documentaries such as Haru, yksinäinen saari in 1998 and Tove ja Tooti Euroopassa in 2004. In 1992, the pair attended the Presidential Palace’s Independence Day reception as guests.
Distinctions and Legacy
For her contributions to Finnish visual arts, Pietilä received formal state recognition. She was awarded the Pro Finlandia Medal of the Order of the Lion of Finland in 1963 and was named a Commander of the Order of the Lion of Finland in 1994. In addition to her national honors, she held membership in the Accademia delle Arti del Disegno. She died in Helsinki at age 92, leaving a substantial archive of work that remains a permanent part of the Finnish cultural record.
Fast facts
- Born: 1917, Seattle
- Died: 2009, Helsinki
- Primary Occupations: Painter, graphic artist, teacher
- Notable Education: Konstfack, Fernand Léger Art Academy
- Awards: Pro Finlandia Medal (1963), Commander of the Order of the Lion of Finland (1994)
- Membership: Accademia delle Arti del Disegno
- Notable Project: 43 three-dimensional Moomin pieces
- Citizenship: United States, Finland
Questions readers ask
What mediums did Tuulikki Pietilä use?
She worked extensively in woodcut, metal engraving, lithography, and serigraphy.
Did Pietilä have formal recognition from the Finnish government?
Yes, she was awarded the Pro Finlandia Medal in 1963 and the Commander of the Order of the Lion of Finland in 1994.
Achievements
- Pro Finlandia Medal of the Order of the Lion of Finland — 1963
- Commander of the Order of the Lion of Finland — 1994
