Art in the spirit of friendship: Marie-Françoise Poitout Thorel donated a collection of art to the city of Kuopio

The sister-city relationship between Kuopio and Besançon in France received a new, meaningful cultural gift when French artist and long-time sister-city activist Marie-Françoise Poitout Thorel donated 68 of her enluminure artworks to the city of Kuopio to honour the city’s 250th anniversary.

Marie-Françoise Poitout Thorel is a French artist and cultural influencer with exceptionally warm and long-standing ties to Kuopio. She has been a central figure in the development of friendship between Kuopio and Besançon since the 1980s. She was involved in the preparation of the sister-city agreement between Kuopio and Besançon and has since been active in promoting cultural cooperation between the two cities. She has been the President of the Franco-Finnish Society of Besançon, founded in 1982, for more than two decades.

Marie-Françoise Poitout Thorel is one of the few French enluminure artists who continue the tradition of medieval script decoration. Her works are the result of decades of artistic and cultural work, and also they reflect her deep affection for Finland and Kuopio.

Marie-Françoise Poitou’s friendship with Kuopio is not limited to art. Over the years, she has presented Finnish and Kuopio culture at numerous events, lectures and radio programmes in France. In 2004 City of Kuopio awarded her a silver medal of honour for her active participation in the relations between Kuopio and Besançon.

Marie-Françoise Poitout Thorel is widely known in Besançon as Madame la Finlande – a name that reflects her love to Finland, its culture and Kuopio in particular.

An exhibition of her works will be held in the lobby of the Main Kuopio Library in August. The exact date will be announced later.