2003-2007

On 25 April 2003, the Kondas Centre was opened in Viljandi at Pikk 8. The idea of opening the Paul Kondas museum, or at least a memorial room, dates back to late 1980s. In 1986, Viljandi Museum acquired 36 oil paintings by Paul Kondas in their collection.
The opening started in front of the wooden house with columns in Tartu street, where the artist and schoolteacher Paul Kondas had lived in a one-room flat. Tormi Kevvai sat on the stairs, wearing a Santa Claus costume, like in the painting “Santa Claus Fishing”, with fishing rods in his hands and a Christmas tree beside him, next to the musician Margus Põldsepp. Mark Soosaar, Aate-Heli Õun, Ülo-Alo Võsar, Ants Juske and Taave Tuutma spoke to the audience gathered there.
Then Santa Claus delivered his greetings, and headed down the hill towards the lake, saying he would go angling. Next, the procession with Culture College students dressed as characters from Kondas’ paintings, and other participants went to Tallinn street, where they stopped at the building which housed the Kilpkonna Gallery for 10 years. Tiiu Männiste held a speech there. Then they went along Pikk street to the former pastor’s house, where an excited crowd had gathered. The clouds had cleared and the sun was shining. Peep Aru and Signe Kivi, who were involved in the process of opening the centre, gave a speech. The Mayor of Viljandi, Malle Vahtra, unveiled a figure, which turned out to depict the wife carrier from the painting “Baptism by Fire”.
Then the doors were opened and visitors entered the permanent exhibition hall. At first the room was dark and from a screen higher up in the air, Paul Kondas himself greeted those present. It was an extract from the documentary “Sunday Painters”, made by Mark Soosaar in 1979. On the screen, Paul Kondas said, smiling, “Hello, darlings, so nice you could come here!”
Then lights were turned on and the numerous visitors in the room could see Paul Kondas’ paintings around them.
In the adjacent rooms there was a dinner table, and the works of naive artists of the island of Kihnu and of Viljandi county were exhibited on the walls.
The musician played, and the happy visitors mingled with the characters from the paintings on the walls: the king of the forest, the hunter, a girl in national costume, a boatman, the Yule goat, devils, Snowflake, etc.
This was the beginning and everything that followed was yet ahead.
In 2003, the Kondas Centre started at a low key – with the permanent exhibition and two small gallery rooms. The upstairs exhibition hall was added the next year, and two more galleries and a room for workshops in 2011.