Tartu Art Museum

Tartu Art Museum is a state-owned museum of art located in Tartu, Estonia. It was founded in 1940 on a private initiative by the members of local art school Pallas.

Exhibitions are held in a historical building situated by the Town Hall Square of Tartu. By the end of 2014, the main collection of the museum included 44 650 pieces, mostly Estonian art. Mostly, Tartu Art Museum displays Estonian art, but it also introduces modern international art to Estonian public.

In recent years, some the exhibitions of modern art in the museum have initiated a wide public debate about the merits and borders of art. The most controversial exhibitions have been MÖH? FUI! ÖÄK! OSSA! VAU! in 2012, exhibiting the most scandalous works of Estonian art since 1990s, and "My Poland. On Recalling and Forgetting" in 2015, exhibiting modern Polish art about the Holocaust.

Tartu Art Museum has had two personal museums of single artists: Anton Starkopf's museum in Tartu (1972–1997) and Eduard Kutsar's museum in Elva (1971-2012).

Since 2012, Tartu Art Museum has been led by Rael Artel, a former independent curator and gallerist.

Further reading