The history of Tikanoja Art Museum
The Tikanoja Art Museum is located in the previous residence of Commercial Counsellor Frithjof Tikanoja, who donated his home with its art collection to the City of Vaasa on the 22nd of December 1951. The new art museum was opened to the public soon after that, on the 26th of December 1951.
Frithjof Tikanoja had personally experienced the inspiring effect of art and wanted to provide the same opportunity to others. He understood the educational value of art. Therefore, art education is today one of the central aims of the museum’s activities and there is active collaboration with schools and other educational institutes.
The Tikanoja collection consisting of more than 1,000 works covers many important artists in art history and true gems of international renown. The unique quality of the collection is underlined by the fact that it was not compiled as a public museum collection but as a private home collection. For this reason the Tikanoja collection has, similarly to other art collections with a private origin, a personal character of its own that tells us about the creator’s interests and expertise, reveals something of the collector’s nature and also reflects the era of collection. Frithjof Tikanoja thought that his collection would bring the greatest joy to subsequent generations, who could enjoy seeing authentic masterpieces of art.