Rein Kelpman (b. 1960) is a self-taught painter, having worked as an artist at an advertising agency right after graduating high school (1979–1987). Kelpman’s artworks were first exhibited in 1986 at Tallinn Art Hall gallery. He became a member of Estonian Artists’ Association the same year. Kelpman won Estonian Culture Fund’s annual award in 1993 and Cultural Endowment of Estonia’s annual award in 1995. The artist’s cubist paintings easily recognizable by their soft lines are dream-like, enigmatic and always seem to be telling a story.
CV
1986
member of the Estonian Artists' Association
Performed at exhibitions since 1981
PERSONAL EXHIBITIONS:
1986
Gallery of the Tallinna Kunstihoone
1988
A.H.Tammsaare House Museum, Tallinn
1989
Köpenicker Bank, Berlin
1990
Estonian Art Fund Gallery, Helsinki
1991
Oulu City Youth and Culture Centre, Finland
1992
Volleby Institute, Vastera, Sweden
Tidö Count Castle, Sweden
The Estonian House, Stockholm
Gallery G, Tallinn
1993
Gallery Luum, Tallinn
1994
Hannelore Greve Gallery, Hamburg, Germany
1995
Tuglas-Seura, Helsinki
Tartu Art Museum
Gallery Sebra, Tartu
The German Culture Institute, Tallinn
Gallery Vaal, Tallinn
The Chaplin Centre, Pärnu
1998
Gallery Hassel, Stuttgart, Germany
1999
The Raatuse Gallery, Tallinn
2000
Gallery of the Tallinna Kunstihoone
The Estonian embassy in Latvia, Riga
2001
Eesti Ühispank gallery, Tallinn
The Kivisilla Gallery, Tartu
2002
The Draakoni Gallery, Tallinn
The Haus Gallery, Tallinn
Gallery of the Castellan House, Tallinn
2006
Am Kastell, Unterrabnitz, Burgenland, Austria
Siebensterngalerie, Wien, Austria
2007
ArtDepoo gallery, Tallinn
2008
Art Hall Gallery (with Jüri Ojaver), Tallinn
Võru City Gallery, Estonia
TAM Gallery, Tallinn
2010
Gallery Vaal, Tallinn
2011
Haus Gallery, Tallinn
GROUP EXHIBITIONS:
1986
Youth Triennal of the Baltic States, Vilnius
1987
Man and environment, Kotka, Finland
1988
Ars Estonica 88 - exhibition of the Estonian artists in the Tampere Modern Art Museumis
Exhibition of the young Estonian artists, Kaasan, Russia
1989
Group exhibition of graphic artists, Espoo (with A.Tali, A.Juurak and A.Ermeliga)
Gallery of the Tapiola Centre of Culture, Helsinki
1991
Coonemans Institute, Brussels
H.W.K. Gallery, Kassel, Germany
Gallery of the Estonian Art Fund, Helsinki (with J.Arrakuga)
1992
Exhibition of the Estonian art, Le Treport, France
Volleby Institute, Vastera, Sweden
1993
Exhibition of the Estonian art, Hannover, Germany
Art Cologne, International Art Fair, Cologne, Germany
1994
Art Cologne, International Art Fair, Cologne, Germany
Sollentuna Art Fair, Stockholm
1995
Art Cologne, International Art Fair, Cologne, Germany
“5 painters”, the Tallinn Kunstihoone
2000
“The Estonian painting at the turn of the millennium”, Berlin
2001
“The Estonian painting in the XX century”, Paris
2008
SixEstonian artists, Eisenstadt, Austria
PRIZES:
1984
Annual prize of the youth assembly of the Estonian Artists' Association
1989
Annual prize of Tallinn city design for supergraphics
1991
Special prize of the III Baltic Young Artists' Triennal, Vilnius
1993
Annual prize of the Estonian Cultural Fund
1995
Annual prize of the Cultural Capital
2010
Annual prize of journal „Akadeemia“
WORKS IN COLLECTIONS:
The Estonian Art Museum, the Tartu Art Museum, the Tallinn Kunstihoone,
the Lithuanian Art Museum, the Puškin Museum, St. Petersburg; private
collections in Estonia, Finland, Sweden, Germany, France,
Belgium, Denmark, USA.