Haus Gallery features a retrospective of the artist’s paintings. The earliest painting in the collection – a portrait of Uno’s wife Mari – was completed almost 50 years ago and the newest recently.
Uno Roosvalt is recognizably personal. In his work he has combined an archaic motif and modern painting approaches. His themes are the sea and the proximity to the sea and everything related to the sea, as well as national motifs, a piece of folklore, and familiar ornaments. Roosvalt’s technique of painting is expressive in terms of both brushwork and color. Strong reds and strong blues and greens on the surface of the canvas, the drawn on elements and the charcoal pencil captivating, inviting you to delve into the artist’s world of painting and read the stories that flow from picture to picture. Looking at the paintings depicting only the sea surfaces and beaches of Uno Roosvalt, it can be said that the artist has found his own structures for the seas, his own picturesque solutions through icy cold blue and warm yellow in brushstrokes and rhythms.
Uno Roosvalt was the first recipient of the Eerik Haamer Art Prize, as Roosvalt’s work bore the same values as Haamer’s works in the 1930s and many later works – national motifs through his contribution to emphasizing the sea and poetizing and presenting nautical life.
Congratulations to Uno Roosvalt!
Uno Roosvalt was born in Tallinn on August 22, 1941. He received his art education in 1956–1962 at the Tartu School of Art and in 1963–1969 at the Estonian National Institute of Art. He started performing at exhibitions in 1968. Member of the Estonian Artists’ Union since 1975. 1989–2011 Associate Professor of the Estonian Academy of Arts, 1985–1995 Head of the Department of Painting at EAA. Honorary member of EKL since 2010.
Solo exhibitions (selection): 2021, 2011, 2004 Hobusepea Gallery, Tallinn; 2019 Kuressaare Town Hall Gallery; 2018, 2011 Draakoni Gallery, Tallinn; 2016, 2001,1981,1975 Tallinn Art Hall Gallery; 2011, 2004, 1996 Pärnu Museum of New Art; 2014, 2005 Art Hall of the Riigikogu; 2011 Eesti Pank Gallery, Tallinn; Vuojoen Manor Cultural Center, Finland; 2010 Kihnu Museum; 2007, 2005 Viinistu Art Museum; 2020, 2006 Evald Okas Museum, Haapsalu; 1990 Adamson-Eric Museum, Tallinn.
Joint exhibitions (selection): 2020 XX Annual Exhibition of the Estonian Artists’ Union; 2019 19th Annual Exhibition of the Estonian Artists’ Union, Tallinn Art Hall; 2018 XVIII annual exhibition of the Estonian Artists’ Union, Tallinn Art Hall; 2017 XVII Annual Exhibition of the Estonian Artists ‘Union, Tallinn Art Hall, “Right Now”; Pärnu Art Summer 2017 / Trinity. 2016 “Spring Exhibition” 16th Annual Exhibition of the Estonian Artists’ Union; 2015 “Continuity and Novelty / Estonian Contemporary Painting” At the Art Museum, EKL15 annual exhibition “Spring Exhibition” Tallinn Art Hall; 2014 “From Wall to Wall” T. Pääsuke, V. Vinogradov; U.Roosvalt, L. Sillak in Finnish cities (Helsinki, Tampere, Mänttä, Kokkola).
Awards: Painters’ Union Award 2000; Konrad Mägi Prize 2011; Eerik Haamer Award 2018; Kristjan Raud Award 2019.
Art collections: Estonian Art Museum, Tartu Art Museum, Estonian Art Foundation, Tallinn City Art Collection, Lohja City Government, Viinistu Art Museum.
Private collections: Estonia, Finland, England, America, Germany, Sweden, Georgia, etc.
