Visual arts | Tove Jansson's early painting went unnoticed for decades – Now it was found to be genuine

Moomins known as the creator Tove Jansson's the newly discovered work will be sold at auction. The auction will be held at the end of February.

The starting price of the work, created in 1937, is SEK 300,000, Crafoord Auktioner Stockholm, responsible for the auction, says in its press release. According to the release, experts from Crafoord Auktioner Stockholm have verified the authenticity of the work.

Likely The painting depicting Jansson's own studio in Helsinki was originally a gift from the artist Value for Leinose in thanks for the fact that he renovated the studio in the 1950s. Leinonen put the painting in a closet, where it remained until his son found it in the 1960s and framed it.

New The painting became an object of interest only recently, when the granddaughter of the original owner Nanna Leinonen discovered the beloved artist as its signatory.

Now the work is one of the highlights of the auction, and the asking price is breaking records. Last spring, Jansson's second studio-themed painting was sold for an exceptionally high price after fierce bidding. The windows of the studio 383,800 euros was finally paid for the work, which is known to be the highest amount paid for a Jansson work at auction.

To the press release according to the legend of the painting now being sold could have ended differently, the painting was once stored for some time at the family's summer cottage on the foothills of Norrtälje. The cabin was broken into, but the thieves didn't care about the art, and were content to take the alcohol.