The new exhibition in Sillamäe is the first major presentation of Lisunov's watercolour paintings in Estonia since his death in 2000.

 During the Soviet era, Lisunov's work ran counter to academic traditions and official ideology. The artist was pressured by the authorities and banned from participating in exhibitions. His unofficially-staged exhibitions were also broken up by KGB officers.

"When he was creating, it was a time when people did not have much opportunity to express themselves as they wanted, so he was one of the artists who was constantly under surveillance by the secret services," Elena Antusheva, acting director of the Sillamäe City Museum told ERR.

"The most important thing for us is was that his exhibitions were also held in Estonia. We received a lot of interesting information about exhibitions of his that were held at the University of Tartu and also at Narva Castle," added Antusheva.

Vladimir Lisunov defined his style as mystical symbolism, drawing inspiration from philosophy and mythology, as well as the ideas of Nietzsche and Kafka, which he sought to express through his works.

"(He uses) watercolors, but it's done very skilfully. As an artist, if I'm being honest, I don't know exactly how it was done, because it's very delicate work, so only super-experts who are art historians would be able to explain it in more detail," said the exhibition's curator Eduard Zentsik.

"I simply admire the skill that is visible to the naked eye. He was a very experimental artist, who in his own time was out of place. Now, however, he really resonates with these times," Zentsik added.

The exhibition of Vladimir Lisunov's works will be open at the Sillamäe Museum until January 1.

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