In the archive, the Art Museum of Estonia preserves the archives of artists, art historians and some art institutions (including that of the art history unit of the Institute of History of Tallinn University). The archives mainly consist of documents, correspondence, notebooks, sketches, newspaper clippings and biographical records, as well as a few photographs. One part of the museum’s archive is made up of the “passports” of the exhibitions held in the Art Museum of Estonia, which have been systematically collected as of the 1960s. A “passport” contains a list of the works of art on display, information texts from the walls, press releases, newspaper clippings, photos, the invitation, the poster and other promotional materials.
The records from the archive of the Art Museum of Estonia can be viewed in the Archival Information System (AIS) of the National Archives of Estonia. The archives are located in the Kumu Art Museum and can be visited upon prior arrangement on workdays between 10 am and 5 pm. Researchers can use the work desk in the reading room of the library.
The archive is interested in cooperation with the public as regards the collection and preservation of documents, photos, letters and other material related to Estonian artists.