Prized Roses and Odd Blooms introduces the art collection donated to the City of Vaasa in 1951 by the Finnish industrialist Frithjof Tikanoja (1877-1964).

Tikanoja took an interest in art during the First World War. He befriended and socialized with many artists and cultural figures after his marriage to Ruusa Myntti, who came from an artistic family.

The Tikanoja Art Collection is distinguished by rarities including 19th and 20th century French masterpieces by such artists as Gustave Courbet, Edgar Degas, Paul Gauguin, and Henri Matisse, the likes of which are seldom seen in Finnish collections. The bulk of the collection consists of Finnish art, including famous names such as Akseli Gallen-Kallela, Victor Westerholm and Maria Wiik, as well as a wealth of paintings by Tikanoja's contemporaries such as Eemu Myntti ja Arvi Mäenpää.

The eclectic collection also includes pieces by non-mainstream artists and lesser-known names. The expert articles shed light on the works in the collection, Tikanoja's special interests, and the influence of the Finnish national epic (The Kalevala) and the culture of Lapland.