Other events in Baltic States

On Friday, 23 March an international exhibition entitled Undiscovered Masterpieces. Russian Art from the Collections of the Baltic Countries will open at the Kumu and Kadriorg Art Museums. The project is the first joint exposition of works by Russian artists, from the late 19^th century and early 20^th century, from the museums of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The paintings, sculptures and works of applied art, which have been gathered from seven museums in the three Baltic countries, provide an excellent survey of the golden age of Russian art and the works of undiscovered masters.

The exhibition will be introduced by the curators, Tiina Abel (Kumu Art Museum), Aleksandra Murre (Kadriorg Art Museum) and Ksenija Rudzīte (Latvian National Museum of Art), as well as Māra Lāce, Director of the Latvian National Museum of Art, Osvaldas Daugelis, Director of the M. K. Čiurlionis National Art Museum, and Kadi Polli, Director of the Kadriorg Art Museum.

The working languages of the press conference will be Estonian and Russian. If necessary, interviews with foreign visitors can also be conducted in English.

The exhibition is divided into two parts. At the Kumu Art Museum, the works being exhibited include 19^th-century Realist paintings and the official art of the day – Academic Art and Salon Art. Represented are some of the greats of the Peredvizhniki Movement – Ivan Kramskoi, Ilya Repin, Ivan Shishkin, Vasily Perov, Alexei Savrassov and others – as well as representatives of Late Realism. At the Kadriorg Art Museum, works from what has been called the “Silver Age” are exhibited, from Russian Impressionism to the search for forms by the Avant-Garde at the beginning of the 20^th century. Special attention is focused on works by the artists who belonged to the groups called Mir Iskusstva and Knave of Diamonds, as well as the theatrical theme in 20^th-century Russian art. Many superb artists, including Boris Kustodiev, Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin, Konstantin Korovin and Mstislav Dobuzhinsky, will be represented with numerous works.

For the Kadriorg Museum, a comprehensive exhibition of the jewels in its collection is currently very topical since the museum will be closed to visitors for six months, starting on 1 July 2012, for renovations. The updating of museum buildings with more efficient technological solutions is on the agenda in many countries. Thus, the Latvian National Museum of Art is also preparing for a general overhaul of its main building, and the implementation of an ambitious project for new depositories.

The preparations for the exhibition brought together professionals and art institutions from three European countries: the Art Museum of Estonia, Latvian National Museum of Art, Lithuanian Art Museum, M. K. Čiurlionis National Art Museum, Lithuanian Theatre, Music and Film Museum, Tartu Art Museum, and Narva Museum.

Graphic design: Andres Tali

Exhibition design: KAOS Architects

Undiscovered Masterpieces. Russian Art from the Collections of the Baltic Countries at the Kumu Art Museum from 23 March to 12 August 2012 and at the Kadriorg Art Museum from 23 March to 24 June 2012.