Archived: Unveiling Masterpieces. Kadriorg Art Museum 10
In 2010, we celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the reopening of the Kadriorg Palace and of the foundation of the Kadriorg Art Museum.
At the anniversary exhibition "Unveiling Masterpieces", the most fascinating items from the museum's collection are displayed. The audience gets a chance to view the 'raw diamonds' of the foreign art collection of Estonia – works of art that reveal spectacular quality once the darkened varnish layer is removed – and will be given insights into these discoveries.
The Kadriorg Art Museum was founded in 2000 as a branch of the Estonian Museum of Art, which holds and introduces the largest collection of foreign art in Estonia.
"Unveiling the Masterpieces", which presents twelve paintings and their highly versatile fates, raises the question about the value of art and the contingency of valuing art. How does a masterpiece come about - an admired and cherished work of art? Although a work of art is a result of the artist's creative work, then in order for it to become a masterpiece, it needs the world around it - art experts, collectors, the audience. A work of art may become a masterpiece centuries after its creation and vice versa - it can lose its glory and renown.
Probably the biggest surprise at the exhibit is a painting by the grand master of the 17th century, Jacob Jordaens. "The Holy Family", which had until now been attributed to an unknown artist, acquired its lush colours and craftsmanship only after extensive restoration works. Research also discovered traces of the painting's journey: it used to belong to the collection of Jaak Kask in Tallinn, was presented at an auction in Berlin in 1936, after which it was also put on display in Estonia at the Stock Exchange building. The trace was lost during the Soviet rule and the artist's name was forgotten.
Exhibition curators: Greta Koppel, Aleksandra Murre
The exhibition is accompanied by "Saturday Academy" - series of lectures (learn about the topics and presentations at http://www.ekm.ee/eng/kadriorg.php)
