Estonian Art

The themed auction Estonian art presents a selection of modern Estonian art from the beginning of the 20th century to the present day. Estonia's national artistic life began to take shape at the beginning of the last century and was already influenced by European and international currents at an early stage. Shaking societal changes during the 20th century contributed to the Estonian artistic life gaining its distinctive character. During the Soviet era, the artists strove to mentally distance themselves from the official ideology, while international influences were absent due to closed borders. Influenced by these circumstances, Estonia's artistic life followed its multi-faceted paths and gave rise to expressive and distinctive art. Graphic art has traditionally enjoyed great appreciation in Estonia. Compared to other art forms, it has also been allowed to develop relatively freely during the changing conditions of the 20th century. Estonian graphic art maintains a remarkably high technical level, and among the most significant visual artists are Eduard Wiiralt, Vive Tolli, and Evald Okas.