An extensive overview of unique works by three early Estonian modernists, Kristine, Lydia and Natalie Mei, at the Kumu Art Museum

The exhibition The Mei Sisters: Avant-Garde and the Everyday Life by the sisters Kristine (1895–1969), Lydia (1896–1965) and Natalie (1900–1975) Mei will open at the Kumu Art Museum on 14 March, bringing the creative legacy of three unique female artists to the public on a large scale for the first time. The exhibition is curated by Kai Stahl, Eha Komissarov and Ulrika Jõemägi.

The Mei sisters entered Estonian art life at the 1919 spring exhibition of the Pallas Art Society. The eldest sister, Kristine, was the first Estonian to graduate from the Finnish Art Society’s Drawing School as a sculptor. Her main areas of expertise were figurine sculpture and calligraphy. Lydia, one year younger, who studied architecture in St Petersburg, mainly worked with watercolours. The youngest of the sisters and the most well-known as an artist, Natalie, was among the first graduates of the Pallas Art School and became the first professional costume artist in Estonia.

“Without falling into stereotypes, Kristine, Lydia and Natalie reflect directly and with immediacy on their own time. They utilised avant-garde viewpoints, which were seldom used by women artists, starting a dialogue with the classics of art history and working with the self-image of the New Woman and woman artist. The Mei sisters certainly deserve a place among the stars of Estonian modernism,” says the exhibition curator Kai Stahl.

The exhibition includes drawings, watercolours, figurine sculptures, collages and everyday items made by the sisters over half a century. The background of the authors is revealed through a rich selection of photos and additional materials. A significant portion of their several hundred artworks is being displayed for the first time, including handmade books that the sisters created under pseudonyms. A selection of works by the contemporaries of the Mei sisters from Estonia and Finland is also exhibited, including works by Karin Luts, Peet Aren, Eduard Wiiralt, Albin Kaasinen and Marita Walldén.

As part of the exhibition, Anu Lamp in collaboration with the actors will stage the play Sisterhood, which is based on the memories and correspondence of the sisters, with Emili Rohumaa, Hele Palumaa and Kristina Preimann playing the sisters. The intimate performances will take place in the exhibition hall on limited occasions in April and in May.

During the opening programme, taking place on Saturday, 15 March, everybody is invited to create still lifes in oil pastels inspired by the works of the Mei sisters from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. A curatorial tour with Kai Stahl and Ulrika Jõemägi takes place at 2 p.m. At 3 p.m., the discussion “Unique and unusual? Women in Estonian art scene during the first half of the 20th century” will take place between the art historian and critic Katrin Kivimaa, the art historian Juta Kivimäe, and the exhibition curator and art historian Kai Stahl, covering the art and social life of the 1920s and the 1930s, and using the critical context of the exhibition to examine the mutual influence of women’s artistic practices. The discussion will be moderated by the art historian Ragne Soosalu.

A new edition of the book Ainulaadne sõsarkond. Õed Meid (A Unique Sisterhood: The Sisters Kristine, Lydia and Natalie Mei) by Kai Stahl will be published in connection with the exhibition (in Estonian); the book previously appeared as part of  the archival publications of the Art Museum of Estonia. The museum shop will also feature Kai Stahl’s doctoral thesis from the University of Turku on Natalie Mei and her earlier oeuvre (in Finnish) and Neiud kui Lutsud, recently published by the Estonian Literary Museum, which brings together the letters Natalie Mei sent to Karin Luts in the 1920s (in Estonian).

The exhibition The Mei Sisters: Avant-Garde and the Everyday Life is open on the third floor of the Kumu Art Museum until 31 August 2025.

Curators: Kai Stahl, Eha Komissarov and Ulrika Jõemägi
Exhibition design: Aleksander Meresaar and Laura Pählapuu
Graphic design: Külli Kaats, Tuuli Aule and Else Lagerspetz
Coordinator: Magdaleena Maasik