Past

Kaja Kärner (1920–1998) was one of the central figures in the legendary Tartu circle of friends, the first informal group of artists in post-World War II Estonia. She created abstract compositions with a good sense of rhythm and colour, collages and genre paintings which capture the overall tonality of the era with subtle shades of colour and hidden irony.

This contemporary art exhibition invites viewers to consider issues related to mental health and well-being. How can we maintain a comfortable balance between joy and sorrow, work and leisure? Why do things sometimes get out of balance?

The solo exhibition of the metal artist Urve Küttner (b. 1941) looks at the artist’s creative explorations for over five decades. An artist with a remarkably wide range of interests, Küttner has worked with various styles, materials and techniques.

The exhibition includes forest and nature landscapes, as well as 20th-century animal sculptures, by Leili Muuga, Enn Põldroos, Olga Terri, Olav Maran and several other Estonian artists.

This exhibition presents a fascinating story of the handbag over the last 100 years, highlighting the impact of pop culture and celebrities on handbag trends and styles.

This exhibition highlights the use of innovative materials, new technologies and principles of sustainability in contemporary Estonian art and design. The artworks on display give us hope that a shift towards a more ethical world with a new aesthetic is indeed possible.

The exhibition introduces one of the most recognisable and beautiful symbols of Japan: the kimono.

The museum is dedicated to Adamson-Eric (1902–1968), one of the most versatile creative personalities in Estonian art in the 20th century. 

Kaljo Põllu (1934–2010) is one of the most distinguished Estonian artists and a visual interpreter of the world-view of Finno-Ugric and Nordic peoples and their ancient myths.

After his deportation and imprisonment in Siberia from 1949 to 1957, Olev Subbi (1930–2013) returned to Estonia and resumed his art studies. During the 1960s–1980s his art was exceptional under the strict Soviet Estonian regime.

In the late 1980s, Siim-Tanel Annus (1960) appeared on the international scene as a performance artist. Today, the artist has moved on from performances to pictorial art, and the exhibition juxtaposes the documentation of his performances with his graphic art.

At the beginning of the 20th century, Eero Järnefelt (1863–1937) and Venny Soldan-Brofeldt (1863–1945), two classics from the Golden Age of Finnish art, worked in the well-known Finnish artist community at Lake Tuusula. The works included in the exhibition – colourful landscapes, portraits of the artist’s community and compositions focused on everyday life – come from the rich collection of the Järvenpää Art Museum.