logo
Konrad Mägi, Portrett av norsk jente, 1909 (section of), Tartu kunstmuseum

Konrad Mägi, Norwegian Landscape, 1909 (section of), Art Museum of Estonia.

Konrad Mägi – Estonia’s great painter

Former exhibition

26th of November 2022 – 2nd of April 2023

Colourful, audacious, modern.

Black and white photo by Konrad Mägi.

Artist Konrad Mägi, Art Museum of Estonia.

Meet a great artist who is widely unknown.

Big at home

Konrad Mägi (1878–1925) is doubtless Estonia’s greatest artist. In his home country he has the same position as Edvard Munch has in Norway.

Mägi’s art is marked by colourful, audacious and modern paintings from Estonia, Italy, France and not at least Norway.

The exhibition shows over 100 paintings from various periods. Mägi’s art is of high quality and his motives range from airy landscapes over individual portraits to flowery still lifes. 

Fresh and thrilling

Konrad Mägi’s paintings are surprisingly independent, while at the same time showing connections to leading interntional developments around 1910—1920, like for instance pointillism, neoimpressionism, expressionism and cubism.

Due to this richness his art is so fresh and thrilling for us today.

In Norway, Mägi is especially interesting, since he lived here between 1908—1910. He painted many Norwegian motivs and had his breakthrough as an artist during the years he lived here. 

Konrad Mägi, Norwegian Landscape, 1909, Art Museum of Estonia.

Konrad Mägi, Norwegian Landscape, 1909, Art Museum of Estonia.

Saaremaa landscape, 1913–1914, Madis Üürikes collection in Stockholm.

Saaremaa landscape, 1913–1914, Madis Üürikes collection in Stockholm.

Konrad Mägi, Portrait of a Norwegian Girl, 1909, Tartu Art Museum.

Konrad Mägi, Portrait of a Norwegian Girl, 1909, Tartu Art Museum.

Konrad Mägi, Norwegian Landscape with Pine, 1908–1910, Art Museum of Estonia.

Konrad Mägi, Norwegian Landscape with Pine, 1908–1910, Art Museum of Estonia.

Konrad Mägi, On the Way from Viljandi to Tartu, 1915–1916, Art Museum of Estonia. 

Konrad Mägi, On the Way from Viljandi to Tartu, 1915–1916, Art Museum of Estonia. 

Konrad Mägi, Meditation, 1915–1916, Art Museum of Estonia.

Konrad Mägi, Meditation, 1915–1916, Art Museum of Estonia.

Konrad Mägi, Pühajärve Landscape, 1920, Art Museum of Estonia.

Konrad Mägi, Pühajärve Landscape, 1920, Art Museum of Estonia.

Konrad Mägi, Venice (Canal in Venice), 1922–1923, Art Museum of Estonia.

Konrad Mägi, Venice (Canal in Venice), 1922–1923, Art Museum of Estonia.

Konrad Mägi, Portrait of Alide Asmus, 1912–1913, Tartu Art Museum.

Konrad Mägi, Portrait of Alide Asmus, 1912–1913, Tartu Art Museum.

International co-production

The exhibition is co-produced between Art Museum of Estonia, Lillehammer Kunstmuseum and EMMA - Espoo Museum of Modern Art. It is curated by director at Lillehammer Art Museum, Nils Ohlsen, and Pilvi Kalhama from EMMA. A catalog for the exhibition in English is for sale in the museum shop.

We thank our other exhibition partners and sponsors:
Tartu Art Museum, Estonian Student Society, Viljandi Museum, Under and Tuglas Literature Centre, Enn Kunila’s art collection, Konrad Mägi Foundation and private collections.

Exhibitions

All our exhibitions.
Exhibitions