First off, the all-time most popular Estonian artist is the graphic artist Eduard Wiiralt (1898-1954). Although he also created sketches, he is most famous for his prints. Thousands of prints have been made. The term “print” is a bit misleading, because as art historian Mai Levin mentions in her authoritative 1985 book on Wiiralt, he worked in more than seven different techniques to create prints, from lithography to etching and woodcuts. Artists themselves or quality printmakers will number the prints (e.g. copy 7 of 50) and sign them.
In other words, Wiiralt is the best selling Estonian artist as it’s easier to create and sell numerous prints rather than create unique paintings one at a time.
The Toronto auction house Waddington’s has sold numerous Wiiralt prints (the most recent one was in April 2024) with some prints selling for in excess of 10,000 CAD, and one even in excess of 20,000 CAD.
When I grew up in Toronto, we did not have real Wiiralt prints on the walls of our home. The Wiiralts were just photocopies or pages taken out of books. To be sure you have a real print, do not hesitate to show it to an auction house.
Do you own a real Wiiralt print and want to sell it? Or do you want to buy one and enjoy Estonian art that has stood the test of time?
You will be pleased to know that auction houses around the world sell Wiiralt’s prints. For example, the Toronto auction house Waddington’s has sold numerous Wiiralt prints (the most recent one was in April 2024) with some prints selling for in excess of 10,000 CAD, and one even in excess of 20,000 CAD. Numerous Wiiralt prints have recently been sold in the US as well. See the art website artprice.com .
If you are based in Sweden, the best-known auction house in the Nordic countries, Bukowski’s has sold many Wiiralts. At the top end of the Wiiralt print market, Wiiralt’s “Hell” sold for 540,000 SEK (or approximately 70,200 CAD).
So rummage through those old prints your parents or grandparents put in the garage or keep in the basement and find some money for a renovation or dream vacation.
If you are based in Toronto where the Canadian-Estonian artist Joann Saarniit (1909-1984) was an active painter, you should know hundreds of his paintings are found throughout Canadian-Estonian homes in the GTA. Saarniit was already an artist before leaving Estonia during WWII. Recently, his works have been auctioned at Estonian art auctions and have sold well. For example, one of the best known art auction houses in Eesti, Haus, has sold at least 14 paintings by Saarniit. Both Allee Gallery in Tallinn and e-Kunstisalong in Tartu have sold at least 10 Saarniit paintings at their respective art auctions.
Whether the reader is based in Estonia or Canada, one can enjoy Saarnit’s art. Or if one inherited a painting by Saarniit and plans on travelling to Eesti, perhaps this is your opportunity to turn that work of art into cash.
Eerik Haamer (1908-1994) was already an establish painter in Eesti prior to WWII. In 1930, he entered the Pallas College of Art in Tartu and for five years studied under Nikolai Triik. However, he left Estonia during WWII and spent most of his life painting in Sweden. As proof of the quality of his art, the Estonian Art Museum/Kumu held an exhibition dedicated solely to him in 2008, entitled “On Both Sides of the Sea.” At least ten of his paintings have been sold at Bukowskis in Stockholm and many of his works have come up for sale at all of the major Estonian auction houses. For example, more than 30 of his paintings and prints have been sold at auction at the Haus art gallery. If one lives in North America, then Eerik Haamer paintings can be purchased on the international or American online portal mutualart.com.
You would be especially lucky, though, if you found a painting by the Estonian artist Konrad Mägi (1878-1925) in your parents’ or grandparents’ garage. In 2021, an unidentified Swedish family came forward with a previously undiscovered Konrad Mägi painting called “Rome”, which was sold at Bukowskis for a (all fees included) price of 370,000 EUR (approximately 555,000 CAD). If one finds a Konrad Mägi piece, forget the renovation or dream vacation and start thinking of buying that dream mõis (manor house) in Eesti!
Of course, if you find one of these works of art and don’t want or need to sell it, then enjoy it knowing you have something valuable and worthy of keeping, too.
If the reader thinks that the mediocre hack Hillar is delusional about finding a Konrad Mägi in Canada, I will have you know that Canadian-Estonian Laine Pant and her family kept a Konrad Mägi landscape painting of Kihelkonna, Saaremaa (painted 1912-1913) on the wall of their apartment in Toronto. When Laine Pant passed away in 2013, she donated the painting to VEMU Estonian Museum Canada. In other words, good reader, leave no stone unturned in your basements, rec rooms, or garage when looking for that dust-covered Konrad Mägi masterpiece.
A word of warning. If you purchase a print or painting outside of your home country, you need to be careful about taxes or duties that may be payable on it when bringing it back home.
Of course, if you find one of these works of art and don’t want or need to sell it, then enjoy it knowing you have something valuable and worthy of keeping, too.
Moreover, if this view of what is art seems dated or old-fashioned, then please wait for my next column about Estonian art where we will “meet” the younger avant garde Estonian artists who are successfully selling their works at the world’s leading international art exhibtions, such as Art Basel. Stay tuned.
