Works by 89 artists out of 203 applicants have been selected for the traditional autumn exhibition and auction of young Estonian artists. All works will be on display at a free exhibition opening this Friday at the Art & Tonic gallery in Tallinn until 23 October, when the “Buy Young Art” (“Osta noort kunsti”) auction, open to everyone interested, will also take place.
This year’s autumn auction received submissions from 203 different artists, each of whom could submit up to three works. In total, nearly 400 artworks were submitted, from which the jury selected 89 to be featured in the exhibition and the auction that follows. “The autumn auction usually receives slightly fewer submissions than the spring one, as young artists also tend to spend the summer resting rather than painting. At the same time, judging by the high standard of the submitted works, those who do submit their work take participating in the auction very seriously,” says Reigo Kuivjõgi, organiser of the “Buy Young Art” auction and gallerist at Art & Tonic.
This year’s selection gives art lovers the opportunity to explore a range of artistic media, as in addition to painting, it also includes printmaking, drawing, collage, photography and sculpture. “I am very pleased that this time the selection includes more completely new artists than usual, who are making their debut at the autumn auction. The selection features works of very different styles and price levels – the lowest starting price at the auction is just one euro, and the highest is 3,000 euros,” notes Kuivjõgi.
According to Kristjan-Thor Vähi, CEO of Invego and an entrepreneur with a keen interest in art, who took part in the selection process as a member of the jury, choosing among the candidates was quite a difficult task due to the high standard of the works. “What I find exciting about young art is that young artists are not yet influenced by different movements and schools, and they have a very interesting sense of the future, which is why their work shows many different approaches and genuinely fresh ideas,” says Vähi, who is himself a great enthusiast of young Estonian art. “The ‘Buy Young Art’ exhibition and auction is important because it gives young artists the opportunity to present their work to the public, and gives art lovers the opportunity to look into the future through it. Especially at the beginning of their creative path, when an artist is still little known or even completely unknown, a platform like this for presenting their works and style is very much needed. It is important that young Estonian art is visible and accessible, and the more young art reaches the public, the more courage people gain to buy it and thereby support local artists,” he adds.
The “Buy Young Art” autumn exhibition opens on 2 October at 18:00 at the Art & Tonic gallery. On the same day, the auction catalogue will be published and bidding will open on the website ostanoortkunsti.ee. The exhibition is open every day from 3 to 22 October and is free for visitors. The auction will take place on 23 October at 18:00 at the Art & Tonic gallery and online.
Further information:
Reigo Kuivjõgi
Organiser of “Buy Young Art”
Tel: +372 511 77 22
E-mail: