Tallinn gallery opens exhibition of 89 works by young Estonian artists

An exhibition of 89 works selected for the “Buy Young Art” autumn auction opened at Tallinn’s Art & Tonic gallery on Friday and runs until October 22, ERR reported. The auction will take place on October 23.

Organisers received 400 works from 203 artists aged 40 or younger. Reigo Kuivjõgi, who runs the auction, said the selection aims to include at least 10 percent artists taking part for the first time. He said nearly 95 percent of works have found buyers so far.

Artist Henrik Hürden said the exhibition seemed to improve each year, with more large-scale works than before. Ahti Sepsivart, taking part for the ninth time, praised the range of techniques and the distinct styles of returning artists. He said all his works had sold at previous auctions, with some prices rising during bidding.

Artist Johanna Mauer said she considers material costs and the time spent on a work when setting its starting price, but prefers to start lower to encourage bids.

The final work for the exhibition, Alo Valge’s “Seventh Series,” arrived two hours before it opened. Valge holds the auction’s record price: his work “Doomsday Blue” sold for 20,500 euros at the spring auction in 2024. Visitors can view the works and make advance bids on the “Buy Young Art” website.