Otto Paas (1918–1987) was a leading Estonian-Swedish artist whose international career mainly took off after he fled to Sweden during World War II. His artistry was marked by his roots in Estonia, but was greatly shaped by the European art scene in the post-war period. Before leaving Estonia, he studied at the prestigious Pallas Academy of Fine Arts in Tartu. This art school was known for combining Estonian tradition with French modernism, which laid the foundation for Otto Paas' continued international outlook.

Otto Paas worked primarily in painting and graphics, where his style is often described as a mixture of impressionism and realism, often with motifs taken from both the Estonian and Swedish landscapes. His works are today represented in several public collections in the Nordic countries, and his career serves as an example of how Estonian exile artists strongly contributed to Northern European modernism in art during the mid-20th century.

Otto Paas' art was mainly exhibited in American cities with significant Estonian populations, such as New York, where the "Estonian House" (Eesti Maja) served as an important hub for art exhibitions. Otto Paas' international reach was further enhanced by the fact that his art was frequently featured in Estonian magazines published in the United States, which helped to make his name known among art collectors in Estonian exile. Although his main base remained Sweden, Otto Paas' various exhibitions in the United States were an important part of his identity as an internationally active artist, who managed to preserve and develop his cultural heritage far beyond the borders of his homeland.

Otto Paas studied at the Tallinn School of Art from 1935 to 1937 and at the Pallas Academy of Fine Arts in Tartu from 1938 to 1944.
He participated in exhibitions in Tallinn in 1943 and in Tartu in 1944.
He immigrated to Sweden at the end of World War II, whereupon he became an established part of Swedish-Estonian cultural life. In 1952 he undertook a significant study trip to Paris, which is reflected in several of his paintings from this time. Otto Paas often painted flower still lifes, as in the auction artwork, as well as portraits, figure compositions and landscapes. During the 1950s, he refined his style further and matured as an artist, as can be seen in the auction painting, "Flower Still Life", which was done in 1957.

Otto Paas has exhibited extensively in both Sweden and the USA, often in collaboration with Ants Murakin and Arno Vihalemm.
Together with fellow artists Ants Murakin and Arno Vihalemm, he exhibited at the Norrköping Art Museum and together with Raoul Lind he exhibited in Linköping. He participated in the exhibitions "Estonian and Latvian Art" at Liljevalchs konsthall 1946, "Estonians in Sweden" at Skånska konstmuseum in Lund, "Foreign Artists in Sweden" at Konstnärshuset, "Estonian Art" in Örebro and in exhibitions of Estonian art in Montreal and the USA.
Otto Paas's paintings consist of still lifes, portraits, figure compositions and landscapes, executed in oil or watercolor.

Otto Paas was born on May 27, 1918 in Estonia, and died on August 10, 1987 in Norrköping, Sweden.