Long-lost Estonian avant-garde painting fetches record sum in art auction
A Jaan Vahtra painting hidden for nearly a century — the Cubist "Harbor" — recently resurfaced, earning a record €200,000 at auction on Friday.
"The painting went to a distinguished Estonian art collection," a representative of Allee Gallery, the art gallery and auction house in Tallinn's Old Town, told Postimees' Elu24 portal.
Allee Gallery confirmed that Friday's sale ranks Vahtra among Estonia's most valuable artists, right behind modernist giant Konrad Mägi.
Showing off the work on ETV's "Terevisioon" ahead of the auction, art historian Harry Liivrand says "Harbor" stands among the top achievements of its era.
He noted that the Cubist work, completed in 1923, had appeared publicly only once before, shown at a major Estonian and Latvian Cubist exhibition in Tallinn and Tartu the next year.
The piece was bought at the time by a prominent Estonian civil servant and then quietly passed down through relatives. "The painting was hidden in a private collection," Liivrand said — its whereabouts unknown to the art world for decades.
What makes "Harbor" especially remarkable is how little survives from Estonia's first avant-garde group, founded in 1923. Members included Arnold Akberg, Edmond Arnold Blumenfeldt and Märt Laarman. Liivrand said Vahtra was one of the group's leaders and ideologues.
"They brought modern Cubist forms into Estonian art," he noted, calling the shift a shock to audiences at the time.
"For the artistic tastes of the era, this was unheard of — almost incomprehensible," he said. Liivrand described their work as nothing less than a modern art revolution.
Portrait of an artist
He added that "Harbor" likely reflects an idealized scene. The painting portrays a romantic vision of someone setting off on a journey — and doubles as a self-portrait.
"The man with a pipe at the center is Vahtra himself," Liivrand confirmed. Depicted as a young man, the artist expresses a clear desire to travel.
The expert said the work brings together all the elements that make it a standout of early modernism.
Its significance, he added, extends beyond Estonia. The painting is undeniably part of "the history of modern art in the Baltics."
Jaan Vahtra's "Harbor" went to auction Friday with a starting price of €80,000.
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Editor: Annika Remmel, Aili Vahtla
