Rait Prääts

Artist is based in: Estonia

Rait Prääts (1952) began his artistic career by creating large-scale stained-glass works for public spaces, inclu- ding St. Nicholas’ Church (Niguliste) and the National Library of Estonia. In glass, he developed a distinc- tive technique that allowed him to “paint” in a three-di- mensional manner. Later turning toward sculpture, he worked with cement mixtures for modelling, incorpora- ting painted glass details to achieve a unique synthesis of painting and sculpture. Prääts graduated in glass art from the Estonian State Art Institute (1975), has partici- pated in numerous exhibitions in Estonia and interna- tionally, and has received several awards, including the Kristjan Raud Prize (2013). His commissioned works can be found in many parts of the world and in nume- rous public and private collections. Prääts is a member of the Estonian Glass Artists’ Association and an hono- rary member of the Estonian Artists’ Association.