The art exhibition displayed 200 artworks from the collection of Viinistu Art Museum. This is the first time such an extensive part of this private collection was displayed at another exhibition site.

Viinistu Art Museum was opened in 2002, and is Estonia’s only privately-owned art museum. Jaan Manitski’s original collection of 300 works has now grown to 1,000 and is constantly increasing. In the past 17 years of activity, the seaside art haven has been visited by hundreds of thousands of people, and the museum has awakened and given the fishing village of Viinistu a new life.

Jaan Manitski was born in Estonia in 1942, but lived in Sweden for 46 years, before returning for the first time in 1989, to his home village Viinistu, which is 78 km east of Tallinn. As life would have it, he liked living in Estonia and decided to stay.

In 1991, he bought his first painting in Estonia from the artiat Jüri Arrak (1936-). The art market was only starting to develop and it was an extremely exciting time. For the first time in a long while, art again commanded good prices. A network of galleries and buyers took shape. In ten years, art owners became knowledgeable about the value of what was hanging on their walls at home, and many hastened to sell their works. Some also regained ownership of artworks that had been expropriated from them and were in museums, but since the owners lacked any emotional connection to these works, these were also sold quickly. And so, a number of better and lesser known older works came onto the market.

Some art works that had been considered lost now came into the light. Sadly state collection owners, in general, lacked purchasing power. The first auction was held in Tallinn’s Vaal Gallery in 1997. Museums held a number of exhibitions of 1960s and 1970s art, which led to a greater appreciation for post-war art. During the 1990s and 2000s, a time when the demise of painting as a genre was proclaimed, savvy private collectors sought to acquire paintings in particular.

Jaan Manitski has said that 99% of his collection was bought for reasons of taste. Only later did he develop the aim of providing an overview of art history. His collection includes all of the major names, styles and schools of Estonian art, both before and after the World War II. Naturally, some artists are slightly better represented than others. A number of the paintings would be prized additions to the collections of any of Estonia’s state art museums. Manitski appears to have a special instinct for art, because often he has succeeded in acquiring superb works from mediocre artists.

But what makes the Viinistu Art Museum so special is also its unique atmosphere. It isn’t only due to the sea, which can be seen from the windows, as if it were competing with the paintings. It’s the taste of freedom and self-confidence. It has all been put together without vanity or anything contrived, it is balanced and intelligent. Although some heritage preservation specialists might be taken aback by the climate control systems, or lack thereof, or the fact that the labels are written by hand, or that some numbers are incorrect. Does this matter?  This building is a good place to be in, and to just wander among the paintings.

Curators: Reet Mark and Emma Eensalu