Estonian Art in Focus: Rising Demand and Growing Market

Estonian Art and its European Roots

In the first half of the 20th century, Scandinavian and Baltic artists played a crucial role on the international art scene. They actively participated in major international exhibitions and institutions that emerged in Central Europe. Many of these artists returned to their home countries from cultural metropolises like Paris and Berlin, which often meant they were not included in the narrative of European avant-gardists, despite their significant impact in their respective homelands.

In Estonia, several artistic movements were born, influenced by international currents such as symbolism, cubism, and expressionism. The most prominent of these was the group Noor-Eesti (Young Estonia), which formulated a visionary desire to unite national identity with European culture. Their slogan was:

"More culture! More European culture! Let us remain Estonians, but let us also become Europeans."

After the Russian Revolution of 1905 and subsequent political upheavals, many members of the group dispersed, and several went into exile. One of them was Konrad Mägi, who later became one of the founders of the influential artist group Pallas in 1918. Pallas was not only an artistic movement but also established an art school in 1919, challenging the traditional academic art education in Estonia. The school fostered prominent artists, including the graphic artist Eduard Wiiralt. The building of the school was destroyed during street fighting in Tartu in 1944.

We are Seeking Estonian Art for Upcoming Auctions

In recent years, Bukowskis has achieved high auction results for works by Estonian artists and has seen a growing demand for Estonian art. We are now looking for Estonian works for our upcoming auctions by artists such as:

Konrad Mägi, Endel Kõks, Jüri Arrak, Eduard Wiiralt, Eerik Haamer, Edgar Valter, Richard Uutmaa, Märt Laarman, Raul Meel, Evald Okas, Paul Allik, Ants Murakin, Vive Tolli, and Kaljo Põllu, among others.

Contact us today – our specialists are happy to assist with valuations ›