Malev Toom (b 1953) joined the Tartu school of Estonian photography in the second half of the 1970s when trust in direct, less manipulated photographic images began to be restored, and sensitive selection of motifs and unexpected perspectives came to the forefront. This development also fostered the renewal of press photography, and Malev Toom, who worked for a long time with the newspaper “Edasi,” contributed significantly to the evolution of Estonian photojournalism and documentary photography.
Estonian photo history researcher and long-time colleague Professor Peeter Linnap ranks Malev Toom among the best Estonian portrait photographers of all time, based on his photographs of Estonian cultural figures like Juri Lotman, Arnold Matteus, Lembit Saarts, and others that have become iconic and ingrained in the memory of Estonians since the 1980s. „/…/ The first characteristic of Malev Toom’s portraits is a deep respect for those photographed. Whoever Toom chooses to photograph, he treats with full respect. Putting himself in the background, Toom focuses on the psychology of the subject, greatly empathizing with them, and ensures that the result elevates and deepens the character and dignity of the portrayed /…/“ (Peeter Linnap). Malev Toom shares his experiences in portrait photography and documentary as a lecturer at the Pallas University of Applied Sciences.
Malev Toom’s photographic works can be found in the collections of many Estonian memory institutions, including the Tartu and Estonian Art Museums, the Tartu City History Museums, the Estonian National Museum, and others.
