Imbi Traat

Artist's country of origin: Estonia

Imbi Traat (b. 1950, Tartu) obtained her higher education and PhD in mathematics and statistics, after which she worked as a lecturer and researcher at the University of Tartu.

She began her art studies in 2008 at Tartu Folk University. In 2010, she studied at the Konrad Mägi Atelier under Pallas artist Heldur Viirese, and from 2014 to 2017, she attended Aapo Pukk’s painting courses multiple times. Since 2009, she has continuously refined her painting skills at Robert Suvi’s art studio.

Traat primarily works with oil painting. She enjoys depicting situations with which she has a personal connection—things she has seen and that have caught her eye. Recently, she has moved away from naturalistic representation, presenting her subjects or emotions in a more generalized form.

Since 2011, she has participated in annual group exhibitions, mainly in Tartu, but also in Valga and in 2019 in Berre-les-Alpes, Southern France. Her solo exhibitions have taken place at the University of Tartu: in 2019 at the Computing Centre on Liivi 2 and in 2025 at the Omicum Gallery on Riia 23. She was invited to participate in the University of Tartu Art Museum’s exhibition Creativity Squared (2023) and has been selected for the Tartu Artists’ Annual Exhibitions in 2020, 2022, and 2024.