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JOHANN KÖLER 200
IN THE YEAR MARKING THE 200th ANNIVERSARY OF JOHANN KÖLER’S BIRTH,
three exhibition venues in Viljandi present a connected programme. At the Kondas
Centre, visitors can see original works by the classic master; the Viljandi Museum
displays one hundred full-scale reproductions of his paintings; and at Rüki Gallery,
five contemporary Estonian artists reinterpret Köler’s well-known works from
a present-day perspective.
The exhibition at the Kondas Centre offers a cross-section of Johann Köler’s
artistic production, from his formative years at the Imperial Academy of Arts
in St Petersburg to later works of personal and social significance. More than
thirty works are on display, representing different techniques, genres and stages of
completion. The earliest date from his student years at the academy, when the artist’s
drawing skills and academic sense of form were established – qualities that remained
characteristic of his work throughout his life.
The exhibition also includes works from Köler’s Italian period (1858–1862),
which marked an important turning point in his career. While living in Rome,
he mastered the technique of watercolour and encountered the artistic traditions
of Southern Europe at first hand. This experience broadened his sense of colour and
introduced greater lightness and a more sensitive treatment of light into his work.
Köler’s oeuvre encompasses several genres. Portraiture occupies a prominent
place, bringing him recognition in St Petersburg and securing his livelihood. He
painted statesmen, cultural figures and intellectuals, establishing himself as a highly
regarded portraitist. Alongside this, he also worked with historical painting and
religious compositions – a genre regarded in academic art education as a measure
of an artist’s mastery. Among these works is the fresco Come Unto Me (1879) in the
apse of St Charles’ Church in Tallinn, one of the few works by Köler widely known
to Estonians during his lifetime. The Kondas Centre displays the large preparatory
sketch created for this fresco.
The sketches and studies selected for the exhibition also highlight Köler’s interest
in Estonian subject matter. Several of them date from the early 1860s, when, after
returning from Italy, he spent time in Estonia and maintained active contact with
figures of the national awakening. Works created in his homeland testify to his
interest in local life, types of people and the natural landscape.
In his landscape paintings – particularly views of Crimea and Nice – light and
atmosphere play a central role. During his travels in Crimea in the 1870s, the artist
was captivated by its grand scenery, which reminded him of Italy. Expansive views
of sky and sea, together with a soft palette, combine the artist’s personal travel
experiences with the tradition of classical landscape painting.
Köler also turned to literary and mythological compositions, which were popular
subjects in the exhibitions and salons of the late nineteenth century. In these works
he responded to the tastes of his time while maintaining the compositional clarity
and balance characteristic of academic art.
The exhibition unfolds in a somewhat different manner than viewers may
be accustomed to: rather than presenting a large, comprehensive overview, it
offers a more intimate encounter with the artist’s work. It is especially fitting that
the exhibition takes place in Viljandi – a place with which Johann Köler himself
identified as an artist, often adding the name “Wiliandi” in brackets next to
his signature.
Special thanks are due to the Köler scholar Mai Levin, whose writings have been
an invaluable source in introducing the artist’s works.
Mari Vallikivi
Curator and exhibition design: Mari Vallikivi
Graphic design: Riina Uisk
Installation: Kaarel Narro, Meelis Tammemägi, Jüri Pillisner, Imre Toltsberg
The artworks and their stories: Eva Laantee Reintamm
Text editing: Tiina Sarv
Translation: Ann Kuslap
The works are from the collections of the Art Museum of Estonia, Tartu Art Museum, Viinistu Art Museum and a private collection
Acknowledgements: Liis-Marel Aak, Nele Ambos, Janar Fomatškin Ivar-Kristjan Hein, Sirje Helme, Mare Joonsalu, Liisa Kaljula, Kersti Kuldna, Mai Levin, Piret ja Sven Lõokene, Jaan Manitski, Alar Nurkse, Grete Ots, Katre Ratassepp, Tiiu Saadoja, Kristiina Tiideberg, Vilmar Toom
The exhibition is supported by the Estonian Cultural Endowment
12 February – 26 April 2026
A memorial exhibition of Rolan Paul Firnhaber (1936–2025)
Paul Firnhaber, a cultural anthropologist of American nationality with German roots, first came to Estonia in 2001 when he was invited to deliver a presentation at a scholarly conference organised by the Viljandi Culture Academy. Thereafter, he began spending his summers in Estonia and his winters in Colorado, USA. In 2010, at the age of 74, he settled permanently in the quiet town of Viljandi. On the second floor of a former smithy, he established Gallery Imagi, creating a space in which to share his art and ethnographic collection with fellow enthusiasts of history and art. Exhibition openings at the gallery became memorable occasions, characterised by a distinctive atmosphere of conviviality, music, and the enjoyment of art. Over time, Paul Firnhaber developed a wide circle of acquaintances, with visitors travelling to see him from across Estonia.
The Kondas Centre’s close and warm relationship with Paul Firnhaber began in 2008, when we organised the first exhibition of his photographs depicting old doors characteristic of Viljandi’s historic town centre. A few years later, after his permanent move from the United States to Viljandi, the collaboration deepened. Reflecting the Kondas Centre’s special interest in outsider art, visitors were introduced to works from Firnhaber’s collection, including woodcuts by the Brazilian folk artist José Francisco Borges, satirical intaglio prints by the Scottish barber John Kay, and exhibitions presenting the life and book illustrations of the French noblewoman Gyp. On the occasion of Paul Firnhaber’s 80th birthday, the Kondas Centre organised the museum-wide exhibition Finds, drawn from his collection, accompanied by a conference.
At the small memorial exhibition, open until 26 April, visitors may also view Vaiko Edrur’s evocative and, despite its title, life-affirming documentary film Dance of Death (2019).
In accordance with his wishes, Paul Firnhaber’s final resting place will be Viljandi Forest Cemetery.
26 March–14 June 2026
Esko Lepp 120
This exhibition presents aquatint prints by the graphic artist Esko Lepp from a private collection. March 2026 marks the 120th anniversary of the artist’s birth.
Esko Lepp (1906–1977) was an Estonian artist who gained recognition primarily for his wood engravings. He was born in Räpina parish into a blacksmith’s family and grew up in a rural environment. As a result of an accident in his youth, he lost the fingers of his left hand. Despite this, he developed into a versatile and technically accomplished printmaker.
Between 1935 and 1940, Lepp studied graphic art and applied graphics at the State School of Applied Art in Tallinn, mainly under the guidance of Günther Reindorff (1889–1974). He continued his studies in 1940–1941 at the Konrad Mägi State Higher Art School in Tartu. With the outbreak of the Second World War, he volunteered for the Tartu destruction battalion and, during the war, was evacuated to the Soviet Union, where he worked as a draughtsman in a factory in Chelyabinsk. From 1943 to 1948 he studied graphic art at the Surikov Moscow State Art Institute, where he developed into a professional printmaker.
After completing his studies, Lepp worked as a lecturer at the Tallinn State Art Institute from 1948 to 1951, after which he continued his career as a freelance artist. He worked mainly in fine art printmaking and achieved particular recognition for his wood engravings, but he also practised linocut and intaglio techniques such as aquatint and etching. In addition, he produced applied graphics, book illustrations and ex libris.
In his earlier work, Lepp frequently depicted themes related to war and industry. From the 1950s onwards his work became increasingly poetic and lyrical, with landscape and coastal motifs gaining a central place. He often portrayed views of the North Estonian coast, South Estonia and the villages along Lake Peipus, as well as landscapes of Saaremaa and Karelia.
Lepp mastered a variety of printmaking techniques and sought the most suitable means of expression for each motif. His works are characterised by a clear and forceful line, a sensitive treatment of light and atmosphere, and a distinctive viewpoint. In his later works, an increasingly evocative and lyrical perception of nature becomes apparent.
Esko Lepp was a member of the Estonian Artists’ Union from 1944. His work holds a recognised place in the development of twentieth-century Estonian graphic art.
The aquatint works on display in this exhibition come from the private collection of Sven and Erika Reiss.
The collection began in the autumn of 2019, when Kaja Miller, a teacher at the Viljandi Art School, visited the family and noticed a room furnished in a Soviet-era style. She suggested that a graphic work from the same period would complement the interior well.
Some time later she brought the Reiss family a work that had been standing in her garage, Esko Lepp’s Near Haanja, a striking bird’s-eye landscape view executed in the aquatint technique.
The work made a strong impression on its recipients and became the first piece in the Reiss family’s collection of Esko Lepp’s aquatints. Today the collection comprises 92 aquatint prints and continues to grow.
