Alfred Hirv

(1880 - 1918)

Akt roosiga. 1900

Oil on canvas. 35 x 28 cm
Starting price 5 081 (sold)


Alfred Hirv "Akt roosiga"

Alfred Hirv, an artist whose main years of studying and creation were at the beginning of the 20. century in St.Petersburg, which had become the “capital” of Estonians, has now remained in the local art history one of the authors of the realistic school. So maybe it is not very astonishing, when Alfred Hirv was mentioned in the monography of Ants Laikmaa as the member of “the golden triplet”, who laid the foundation to the Estonian art.
Another two ones? Johann Köler and Amandus Adamson.
Alfred Hirv was born in Petseri as a son of a farmer. Soon he headed for St.Petersburg to study at the Stieglitz Artistic Vocational School. This is a school, without which there would not be the Estonian art history: among the schoolmates of Hirv belong among others Konrad Mägi, Nikolai Triik and many others. Hirv, who is called by Tiina Abel “ a great and precocious talent”, was quickly accepted as a student by Julius Sergius von Klever, one of the celebrities of the Russian realistic school of painting. At the age of 18 the young man already left for the Art Academy of Rome and then a year later to the Ažbe Art School in Munich. In the same school also studied some years later Wassily Kandisky. Even though the biographers of Hirv notice the lack of systematic art education, the young artist compensated it with acquainting himself with the creation of the “small Dutchmen”. The result were works in academic manner that by today have become extremely rare. Majority of the creation of Hirv, who worked mainly in Russia, has remained in Russia and his works have appeared here extremely rarely. Only about a hundred works are known to be here, 23 of them have been acquired into its funds by the Estonian Art Museum and a few more by Tartu Art Museum. Majority of them have been exposed at great expositions of Hirv in both of the museums and at the survey exhibition of the Estonian art in Italy, Germany and other places.

Portraits by Alfred Hirv are known only around a dozen, even though Tassa refers to the portraits by Hirv as “remarkable results” and Tiina Abel talks of him as of “a talented figure painter”, adding:”Hirv belongs among these Estonian artists of the period of the change of the century, whose creation, while looking back now, starts to form gradually to a greater extent the general picture of the Estonian art of that period”. His savoury “Nude with a rose” joins in itself all lines: from a subtle atmosphere to perfect beauty.

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Appearance in auctions

Still-life With a Basket of Currants
Alfred Hirv
Still-life With a Basket of Currants
1900-1910s. Oil, canvas 46 x 66 cm (framed)
ESTONIAN EARLIER ART CLASSICS AUCTION - FALL 2021 Haus Gallery 06.11.2021
12 000
Final price: 18 500
Still-life
Alfred Hirv
Still-life
1899. Watercolor, paper Lm 51 x 44.2 cm (framed)
EESTI VANEMA KUNSTI KLASSIKA OKSJON Haus Gallery 07.05.2021
2 200
Final price: 2 200
Natüürmort laternaga
Alfred Hirv
Natüürmort laternaga
1900-1910. Watercolor lm 63.7 x 51 cm (framed)
Haus Gallery's Autumn Auction Haus Gallery 01.11.2018
5 400
Final price:
Natüürmort laternaga
Alfred Hirv
Natüürmort laternaga
1900-1910. watercolour lm 63.7 x 51 cm (framed)
HAUS GALLERY XXVI ART AUCTION 2010 spring Haus Gallery 15.04.2010
5 688
Final price:
(sold)"> (sold)Natüürmort kannu ja viinamarjadega
Alfred Hirv
Natüürmort kannu ja viinamarjadega
1900. Oil on canvas 37 x 47 cm
HAUS GALLERY XVIIth ART AUCTION, 2005 autumn Haus Gallery 20.10.2005
7 542
Final price: 9 267
(sold)"> (sold)Natüürmort puuviljade ja veinipokaaliga
Alfred Hirv
Natüürmort puuviljade ja veinipokaaliga
1895. Oil on canvas 53 x 71 cm
HAUS GALLERY XIVth ART AUCTION, 2004 spring Haus Gallery 04.04.2004
8 117
Final price: 8 117
(sold)"> (sold)Natüürmort
Alfred Hirv
Natüürmort
1909. Oil on canvas 54 x 62 cm
HAUS GALLERY XIVth ART AUCTION, 2004 spring Haus Gallery 04.04.2004
7 733
Final price: 10 897
(sold)"> (sold)Natüürmort
Alfred Hirv
Natüürmort
1910. Oil on canvas 45 x 61 cm
HAUS GALLERY XIIIth ART AUCTION 2003 autumn Haus Gallery 23.10.2003
7 350
Final price: 9 683
(sold)"> (sold)Akt roosiga
Alfred Hirv
Akt roosiga
1900. Oil on canvas 35 x 28 cm
HAUS GALLERY XIIIth ART AUCTION 2003 autumn Haus Gallery 23.10.2003
3 707
Final price: 5 081

Appearance in exhibitions

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