The auction, which will take place from October 8-10 at ARS Art City, will sell both works donated by the artists themselves and works belonging to the association’s collection. An exhibition will open on September 18 before the auction.
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On May 15, the Estonian Artists’ Association discovered that fraudsters, acting through its chief accountant, had embezzled almost 700,000 euros in state subsidies from the association’s Swedbank and SEB accounts. The money was intended for artists’ salaries, gallery activities, and other needs of the association.
The fraud scheme was disguised as salary payments.
The planned auction should at least partially compensate for the financial damage incurred by one of Estonia’s largest artists’ organizations. The association has almost 1000 members and 18 branches. The preliminary prices of the works selected for the auction have not yet been announced.
At the Auction – Works by Renowned Estonian Artists
Works from the EKL collection itself will also be included in the auction. They were selected by an expert commission that aimed to present a wide spectrum of contemporary Estonian art and culture.
The collection includes works by Jüri Arrak, Enn Põldroos, Tiit Pääsuke, Leonhard Lapin, Jüri Kask, Oleg Subbi, Mari Kurismaa, and other renowned Estonian artists.
However, the association set an important condition: all sold works must be accessible for public exhibitions in the future. This aims to ensure that they “do not disappear from public view,” EKL Vice President Tüüne-Kristin Vaikla told ERR.
“In this way, Estonia’s artistic heritage will remain accessible even after the sale of the works,” she added.
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“Difficulties Unite”
Estonian artist Jaanus Samma, who coordinates the donation of works for the auction, also contributed to the artists’ solidarity campaign.
“Difficulties have a unifying effect,” he told reporters.
According to the artist, colleagues not only donate their works but also inquire about the association’s progress, wish it success, and offer help.
“Organizing this auction was very interesting – I met many artists, visited their studios, and felt a sense of community,” said J. Samma.
Artists who donate their works will receive 15 percent of their sale price. For each work sold from the association’s collection and later resold, artists will receive 5 percent of the amount received.
Meanwhile, EKL is preparing an online auction catalog that will include descriptions of the works and their preliminary prices.
Representatives of the association emphasize that the auction does not mean the sale of the entire EKL collection. Also, there are no plans yet to part with some works that are closely related to the lives and creative history of the artists who created them.
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