Estonia, somewhere between the East and the North, more inclined towards Finland over the sea, ambitious and creative, aspiring to become cosmopolitan, manifesting the smallness of its culture as a form of global uniqueness and promoting open thinking in any type of political or cultural association. Latvia, standing between Estonia and Lithuania, with its capital Riga, the biggest in the Baltic States, with its Latvian peculiarities and hustle. Lithuania almost in Poland and carrying another kind of, somehow reserved spirituality, which Vilnius also exudes, obviously due to the influences of the Catholic culture. Habitually the Baltic states, all three inseparable from one another. Is this belonging important? In an economic sense, definitely. For a small country, it is important to wisely and skilfully get involved in any positive process a neighbour initiates. To put it into a slogan: power lies within joining!

Focusing on the subject of art, which is dear to my soul, and talking of the common part of the art of the Baltic states, I am searching for collections of Baltic art, collectors of Baltic art. Does this term work and to what extent? How would we understand a collection of Baltic art, what could be its phenomena, its peculiarity, that which this collection of works of art would serve to illustrate or map? What are the intellectual similarities and differences between the same geographical region? Ethnically, it is definitely an exciting analysis: looking at the art of three states in a justified and systematic comparison.

At the beginning of the 20th century, so-called Baltic artists were studying together in Riga, in the art school of Vilhelms Purvitis, including our recognised classics Villem Ormisson, Jaan Vahtra, Konstantin Süvalo, and Paul Burman. The works by the students of the time strongly reflect the search for modern art coming from the studios of Paris: Paul Cézanne, Cézanne, Cézanne! “Paris, Paris”, all of Europe and the Baltic states sighed back then. It has become a bridge and incentive for the joint art exhibition of the Baltic states organised in spring-summer 2018 in Paris: Symbolism in the Art of the Baltic States,in Musée d’Orsay. The project is led by Latvia. The general curator is Rudolphe Rapetti. The same exhibition is also planned in our KUMU, presumably in October of the same year. The interconnections between the three countries and connections with Europe are obvious and history supports what can be used in the present.

Regardless of the fact that collections of Baltic art currently exist more in the form of expressions of the emotional preferences of single collectors, there is material to go deeper and deeper. Idealistically: each Baltic country could have at least one good public collection of Baltic art, which could empower the cultural image of these three countries both together and separately. A collection of art that would intrigue and market one’s neighbour in a good way, speaking about the region’s peculiarities and other impacts as well. For instance, how we saw the world when the world saw itself! Honest small country position.

When I participated in the contemporary art fair in Vilnius, with Haus Galerii, the topic of sticking together once again become part of the agenda. There was a temptation to play with the idea of what could be the clearest platforms for co-operation. On the surface, the objective of the Vilnius fair was to jointly present Baltic arts to a wider audience and an international group of collectors in a common art space, although the event seemed to be too Lithuania focused. The viability of art depends on its consumer: exhibition visitors, buyers, patrons, funds... The organisers promised that next year the focus shall be THE BALTICS! Galleries from other countries were practically unable to sell anything, this privilege remained with the Lithuanians on their own market.

Quoting the press release of the Estonian Contemporary Art Development Centre: ‘About 60 galleries and art institutions from twenty different European countries will be participating in the international fair ArtVilnius, being organised for the eighth time. This year, the focus of the fair is video art, with a selection of works being brought from Germany, from the collection of the Videonale, Europe’s oldest festival dedicated to video art. The fair is organised by the Lithuanian Art Gallerists’ Association, under the leadership of Diana Stomiené.’ However, it was whispered that the galleries from other countries felt more like attractions than someone whose presented art would find increased marketing. To promote collecting Baltic art in a more targeted and conscious way, clearer and more practical work is required both inside and outside the fair. All efforts cannot always easily bear fruit, but both the participants and organisers understood the direction and the fair’s true potential more clearly.

Haus Galerii had brought many works by Maarit Murka and August Künnapu to the fair. It was positive that the Lithuanian visitors knew the names of these artists; a fact which created a feeling that there is a common part.

It is necessary to think more broadly. Creating greater visions. Collecting the art of a bigger cultural space already creates more powerful intellectual challenges. After the Baltic art collection, the European art collection should come next.

When the European Union expanded and Estonia became a part of it, I thought, ‘wow, now is the time and chance to start promoting the collecting of European art.’ Europeans as collectors of all European art. What great collections could be formed! Something from each country, and with justification. During the period when Europe was expanding, we went to Austria with Haus Galerii, to visit the contemporary art fair in Vienna, where the so-called art of the Western world was complemented by Eastern European art. Being an Eastern European gallery in the Vienna fair for a couple of years seemed like a weird self-justification. For several decades, I have observed and felt the conservatism of the borders of ar,t and as a small country it is a hard work to get out of this, not to mention the costs. If a so-called average art buyer would be able to sense a wider area and consume the art of this region, it would be a good opportunity for everyone. Resurrection means changing the mindset and points of view. However, if I should create a principle to govern the collecting of European art, it would be the same as for the collecting of Baltic art: the sum of personality and a common part in a shared world... and if I had to create a global art collection, it would carry the same feature, something from itself and everything, something personal and something existential.

Piia Ausman, head of Haus Gallery 

Haus Gallery has cooperated with the new Web magazine Edasi (in English Forward) (Edasi.org). In the weekly column we talk about something interesting and noteworthy in the field of art to Estonian readers. The Forward way of thinking, positive world view, intelligent journey with the reader through meaningful moments, slow journalism, which offers counterpoise to the racy information barrage, which invites to stop, feel and think along just as art inspires Haus Gallery to write stories for Forward.