Frans Toikkanen: Days of Cats

This year marks the centenary of the birth of Frans Toikkanen, an artist and printmaker from Saarijärvi. This milestone year is being celebrated at Galleria Ratamo with the Days of Cats exhibition.

Toikkanen was particularly renowned for his cat-themed prints created using the mezzotint technique. The artist’s observations of cats are perceptive, insightful and humorous. The works are engaging and thought-provoking, even for those who do not consider themselves cat lovers. These much-loved cats reveal precisely the kind of subtle traits and observations about these whiskered companions that only an artist who has spent a long time observing cats can capture.

Born in Saarijärvi and having worked there all his life, Toikkanen began his artistic career in the early 1950s. His first exhibition was held in Lahti in 1952, and he gained international recognition whilst representing Finland at the Florence Print Biennale in 1972. In 1982, he was awarded the prestigious Pro Finlandia Medal in recognition of his significant contribution to Finnish visual arts.

The works in the exhibition have been drawn from the art collections of the City of Jyväskylä, the art collections of the Jyväskylä Educational Consortium Gradia, the art collection of the City of Jämsä, the collections of the City of Keuruu, the art collection of the Municipality of Uurainen and a private collection. The Jyväskylä Art Museum has organised the exhibition in collaboration with Eveliina Perttuli, a Master’s student in art history.

 

Free entrance