Conservation of art of the past and the present
The exhibition at the Niguliste Museum focuses on the conservation of art of the past and the present, highlighting cross-era challenges and solutions. In the main hall, the exhibition reveals the long and often contested restoration history of some of Estonia’s most emblematic medieval works of art, a story of care and intervention that began in the early modern period and continues to the present day. Over the centuries, these works have undergone cleaning, repair and overpainting, reflecting changing understandings of the value and vulnerability of artworks. Object histories and timelines bring past interventions, debates and alterations to light, tracing the journey from restorer to conservator. Every work displayed here has passed through someone’s hands, at times a restorer’s, at times a conservator’s, and sometimes simply those of a caretaker. In this way, the exhibition reflects evolving ideas of responsibility for the preservation of artworks and their historical integrity.
On the third floor of the Niguliste tower, a separate exhibition explores the conservation of contemporary art, bringing into focus modern works of art and the specific challenges of their preservation. The diverse materials and concepts of contemporary art, from traditional techniques to video installations, immersive spatial works, kinetic mechanisms and ephemeral solutions, pose unique challenges for conservators. The selected works offer insight into how thoughtful and responsible preservation helps maintain the identity of artworks, and the integrity of their materials and ideas.
The exhibition features artworks by the artists Villu Jõgeva, Edith Karlson, Jass Kaselaan, Kaarel Kurismaa, Anna Mari Liivrand, Mark Raidpere, Sigrid Viir and Kristina Õllek.
The exhibition From Restorer to Conservator highlights the shift in both methods and mindset. While in earlier centuries “restoring” an artwork often meant overpainting or visually “renewing” it, the modern conservator’s task is to preserve, understand and respect the artwork’s unique history, its layers and its fragility.
Exhibition title
The title of the exhibition – From Restorer to Conservator – refers to a significant change in the mindset and practice of specialists: striving for the restoration of an object to its appearance in the past versus regarding the authenticity of the material and the historical layers as being equally valuable. Having a research-based approach to the conservation of an object is just as important as having manual skills: it provides the guarantee that the intervention is well informed and justified.
Team
Curators: Hedi Kard, Merike Kurisoo, Kaisa-Piia Pedajas, Tarmo Saaret, Isabel Aaso-Zahradnikova
Graphic design: Inga Heamägi
Public programmes: Annika Teras
Educational programmes: Keidi Kaitsa-Pihlamägi
Installation manager: Villu Plink
Exhibition on the Conservation of Contemporary Art on the Third Floor of the Niguliste tower:
Curator: Kaisa-Piia Pedajas
Exhibition design: Isabel Aaso-Zahradnikova
Graphic design: Inga Heamägi
Exhibition team: Isabel Aaso-Zahradnikova, Richard Adang, Karmen Grünberg, Ingvar Toomas Heamägi, Ivar-Kristjan Hein, Juta Kivimäe, Klaire Kolmann, Aleksander Meresaar, Grete Nilp, Alar Nurkse, Grete Ots, Kristina Papstel, Viia-Kadi Raudalainen, Brigita Reinert, Polina Richter, Laura Tahk, Allan Talu
