The opening ceremony of the exhibition “the city of lights – Estonian painters in European metropolises” will be held 11 March, at the Adamson-Eric museum with the support of the French Institute in Estonia. The exhibition will feature the work of early 20th century Estonian painters and their interest in travels and creativity. The exhibition opening is the official kick off to the 2016 Francophonie Festival.
A lot of the work displayed features Paris, a major source of inspiration for Estonian artists in the first half of the 20th century. The city enchanted artists with its architecture and light, but also with abundant collections in museums and contemporary developments in art, not to mention the liberal creative atmosphere. A trip to Paris became an almost compulsory element in the process of maturing as an artist. While some artists, such as Aleksander Vardi, Andrus Johani and Kaarel Liimand, spent only a short while in the City of Light, Karl Pärsimägi and Eduard Wiiralt made Paris their home-town for a longer period. Inspiration was also drawn from other major cities, including Barcelona, Berlin and Venice, which are represented in this display, too.
This exhibition is highly connected to French culture and as such, is part of a broader artistic program developed for the Francophonie Festival, including talks with writers and artists inspired by Paris. A special Ciné-club screening will also take place at the Adamson-Eric.
The works displayed belong to the collections of the Art Museum of Estonia, Tartu Art Museum, and Under and Tuglas Literature Centre, and to private collections.
Curators : Kerttu Männiste (Estonian art Museum), Kadri Asmer (Tartu University)
Exhibition design: Taso Mähar
Communication design: Kätlin Tischler
To know more about the Museum and the opening hours, click here.