A record 92 works were selected from among 526 submissions for the Estonian Young Artists’ Spring Exhibition and Auction, which will take place for the tenth time this May. All works are on display at a free exhibition at the Art & Tonic Gallery in Tallinn until 15 May. On the same day, the gallery will also host the open auction “Buy Young Art” for everyone interested.
Works by 269 different artists were submitted to the “Buy Young Art” spring auction, with 30 of them making their debut this spring. “Interest in the auction grows every year, and this year’s record number of applicants also shows that young artists have a strong desire to bring their work before the public. Our aim is to give them visibility while also bringing Estonian art closer to buyers,” says auction organiser and Art & Tonic gallerist Reigo Kuivjõgi.
Kuivjõgi says this year’s selection introduces artists at various stages of their creative journeys and highlights very clearly the diversity and development trends of today’s young art. “The selection includes both artists who have already gained recognition and entirely new names. Based on what we have seen, it is clear that the younger generation has tremendous potential, and I believe that several of the artists taking part in this exhibition will become leading names in the future,” Kuivjõgi says. He adds that this year’s selection also includes a few names already familiar to the wider public from other fields, such as Johanna Randmann and Villemdrillem.
This spring, “Buy Young Art” launched a partnership with Estonian real estate developer Invego to jointly increase the visibility of young artists in both Estonia and Latvia. “Art is the soul of a home, a source of joy, and an investment all at the same time. Together, we want to bring people closer to the idea that buying a work of art should be just as natural for every family — and in reality, a much higher priority — than buying a new television, for example,” explains Invego CEO Kristjan-Thor Vähi. In his view, a work by an Estonian artist is the finest gift a person could give themselves when buying a new home. “Estonian art, especially young art, is not nearly as inaccessible as people often tend to fear,” emphasises Vähi, who is also a passionate enthusiast of Estonian contemporary art. In cooperation with Invego, the “Buy Young Art” movement is also expanding to Latvia, where the first auction of works by young Latvian artists will take place in early June. A selection of the works will also be shown in Tallinn beforehand.
The auction is based on the principle that art should be accessible to as wide a circle of interested buyers as possible, with the selection offering something for both experienced collectors and first-time art buyers. “The artists set the starting prices for their works themselves. This year, the lowest starting price is just one euro and the highest is 2,000 euros, while in previous years the final price of a single work has climbed to over 20,000 euros,” Kuivjõgi notes.
The “Buy Young Art” exhibition is open to visitors free of charge from 1 to 14 May at the Art & Tonic Gallery. The spring auction will take place on 15 May at 18:00 at the same gallery and simultaneously online on the osta.ee platform.
View all 92 works HERE
See photos from the exhibition opening HERE