Tartu Art Museum

Tartu


If you've been socialising in Tartu's pubs and can't really see straight, don’t use this building to anchor your eye. Subsidence caused by the nearby Emajõgi River gives the 1793 structure – former home of an exiled Scot who distinguished himself in the Russian army – a queasy lean of 5.8°, which is more than the Tower of Pisa. It's now an engrossing gallery of Estonian and Baltic art, spread over three levels (tickets are slightly cheaper if you're visiting only one).

Paintings comprise the bulk of the permanent collection, along with some sculpture, photography, video art and mixed-media work, including some truly wonderful 20th-century portraiture. Dominated by the modern works of Estonian and Baltic painters, its 4000+ collection is the country's second-largest.


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