Kumu’s new book and exhibition introduce Carl Sigismund Walther, a promoter of art life in 19th-century Tallinn

Starting on Thursday, 4 December, the Kumu Art Museum project space will host the exhibition Carl Sigismund Walther: In the Artist’s Living Room, which accompanies the publication of the first comprehensive monograph on Walther. Walther was one of the innovators of the role and status of artists in 19th-century Estonia and a promoter of Tallinn’s art scene. The authors of the book and curators of the exhibition are Triin Kröönström and Kadi Polli.

C. S. Walther arrived in Tallinn from Dresden in 1809. He became one of the most important painters of the Baltic Biedermeier era in Tallinn, as he taught drawing in the Tallinn Cathedral School, was an active member of the public and club life of the city, and worked in various genres, painting portraits, scenes of domestic life and altar pieces for several churches in Estonia.

“The turn of the 18th and 19th centuries is an important period in Estonian art history. It is about that time that the local art history and artists’ community began to develop and the role and status of the artist in society changed: alongside craftsmen arose intellectuals with academic backgrounds. In our country, this change is embodied by two artists, both of whom came directly from the Dresden Academy of Arts: Karl August Senff in Tartu and Carl Sigismund Walther in Tallinn. Through Walther’s persona and works, looking into his living room both directly and indirectly, several key themes of the early decades of cultural life in Estonia are explored: the school and educational landscape, the German theatre of Tallinn, the status of the artist in the society of the time, family and friendships, and the development of social life,” said Kadi Polli, one of the authors of the book and a curator of the exhibition.

“Walther’s work combines religious art with the Biedermeier bourgeoisie, focusing on intimacy and family idylls: his works express a kind of ‘19th-century hygge’. Against the backdrop of complex historical events and turbulent social developments, people sought peace in small things, domestic order and quiet harmony. These searches amid political and social turbulence form a bridge to the present day and help us to make sense of Walther’s creative legacy in a contemporary context,” added Triin Kröönström, the author and curator.

“The monograph on Carl Sigismund Walther is the first in the new series of publications of the Art Museum of Estonia. In the form of monographic studies, it will introduce the classic masters of Estonia, whose heritage is the key to understanding the development of visual thinking and its intertwining with the societal situation of the time and the artist’s own fortunes,” said Kadi Polli.

The monograph is accompanied by an exhibition in the project space of the Kumu permanent exhibition of Estonian art classics, Landscapes of Identity: Estonian Art 1700–1945. The exhibition features about a dozen paintings and as many drawings, showcasing Carl Sigismund Walther’s work in various genres.

The book launch and exhibition opening will take place on Thursday, 4 December, at 6 pm. in the Kumu atrium. At the book launch, the art historian Kristina Jõekalda will converse with the curators and authors Triin Kröönström and Kadi Polli.

The exhibition Carl Sigismund Walther: In the Artist’s Living Room will remain open until 4 October 2026.

Curators: Triin Kröönström and Kadi Polli
Designer: Tuuli Aule
Coordinator: Tiiu Saadoja
Exhibition manager: Andres Amos