The fields of research pursued by the Art Museum of Estonia are based on its collections, with subjects ranging from medieval to contemporary art.
The research work carried out unites all five branches of the Art Museum of Estonia.
Recently, we have concentrated on areas and international research projects on ecclesiastical art, foreign art from the 16th to the 19th centuries and Baltic art from the 20th and 21st centuries, with a focus on the art of the Soviet era, as well as the visual culture of the 1990s and archival research.
Bodies, Environments and Identities in the Soviet-Era Art (2026–2030)
The Soviet-era art research programme examines artistic processes through three key concepts: bodies, environments and identities. Building on the museum’s established thematic priorities, it engages with the discourses of decolonisation and feminism and other international debates informed by critical theory. At the same time, we seek to offer new contexts and interpretations for Estonian art, situated at the intersection of geopolitical spheres of influence.
Geographically, this research field focuses on the Baltic region and Central and Eastern Europe, exploring transnational identity formation through comparative art history. The research projects examine cultural contacts and networks and their formative impact. The theme of (cultural) exchanges between the Soviet Union and the Global South is introduced as a new area of focus. At the same time, the programme explores individual identity formation from an intersectional perspective, examining how diverse identities emerge and are expressed in Soviet-era art, through the body and corporeality, and in relation to various environments, whether artificial, natural, cultural or social.
With a primary emphasis on the Soviet era, the research nevertheless remains highly relevant in light of current geopolitical tensions, particularly through its examination of imperialist narratives and the development of counter-discourses. Certain topics are thus examined in dialogue with both the post-Soviet and contemporary contexts. As part of the ongoing work to develop a new permanent exhibition on the Soviet period, the museum is continuing an in-depth study of its various collections through the lens of the key research themes.
The following researchers from the Art Museum of Estonia are involved in the research programme: Sirje Helme (PhD), Liisa Kaljula (PhD), Eha Komissarov, Madli Mihkelson, Elnara Taidre (PhD), Ulrika Jõemägi, Kersti Kuldna-Türkson, Kersti Koll, Anders Härm (PhD), Karin Vicente and Eda Tuulberg.
Coordinator of the research programme: Eda Tuulberg
Research and exhibition projects:
Research and exhibition project Women Artists of the Tartu Circle (2025–2027)
Project leader: Karin Vicente
Research and exhibition project Who Is Afraid of Motherhood? (2025–2027)
Project leader: Eda Tuulberg
- Marge Monko’s art project exploring the 1970s and 1980s.
Preparatory work for the new permanent exhibition on the Soviet-era art (2026–2030) Project leader: Eda Tuulberg
- The history of the Art Museum of Estonia and the formation of its collections in 1940–1955. Project leaders: Ulrika Jõemägi, Kersti Kuldna-Türkson
- Archival project to collect additional information and oral history related to Soviet-era art in the collections of the Art Museum of Estonia
- Networks, connections, and contacts in Baltic and Estonian printmaking. Project leader: Elnara Taidre (PhD)
- Networks, connections, and contacts in Baltic, Polish, and Estonian poster art. Project leader: Madli Mihkelson
Research and exhibition project on Olav Maran’s and others’ experiments in the 1950s (2026–2027)
Project leaders: Sirje Helme (PhD) and Anders Härm (PhD)
Research and exhibition project on the work of Aili Vint (2026–2027)
Project leader: Maria Arusoo
Research and exhibition project on the work of Olga Terri (2026–2028)
Project leader: Eda Tuulberg
Research and exhibition project on the work of Elo-Reet Järv (2026–2028)
Project leader: Triin Metsla
Research project on the artists’ group ANK ’64 (2026–…)
Project leaders: Liisa Kaljula (PhD) and Elnara Taidre (PhD)
History of Collecting Art in Estonia
Research and exhibition projects:
Art in Museum: Object and Time
Research and exhibition projects:
- Provenance research of the Art Museum of Estonia’s collections (2024–2026)
- Michel Sittow in the North? Altarpieces in Dialogue (2021–2024)
- Art or Science (2021–2024)