Press Materials 2020
|
November 6, 2020-May 2, 2021, Niguliste Museum Exhibition introduces the life and work of Christian Ackermann (active in Tallinn ca 1674‒1707/1710), the most scandalous and gifted sculptor of the Estonian baroque era, and the first Estonian freelance artist. The young and talented Ackermann arrived in Tallinn in the early 1670s. He married Anna Martens, the widow of Elert Thiele, who had been the city’s best wood carver. Ackermann had a child with her very quickly after their marriage, thus flouting the moral norms of society of that time. Additionally, Ackermann took on the guild masters in order to establish himself as an independent master. Ackermann’s radicalness generated resentment among the old masters and they complained to Tallinn’s town council that Ackermann was behaving as if he were the famous sculptor from antiquity Phidias of Athens. In actuality, Ackermann really was Tallinn’s Phidias, the destroyer of old handicraft traditions and the champion of a new kind of artistic creation. Although life placed all manner of obstacles in Ackermann’s way, he created admirable works of art. Thanks to Ackermann’s modern understanding of nature and his remarkable skill in wood carving, all of the most important art commissions came to him, including the retable of Tallinn’s cathedral, which bore the initials of Sweden’s King Charles XI and was a priceless pearl of Estonian baroque-era ecclesiastical art and sculpture. Curators: Hilkka Hiiop and Tiina-Mall Kreem Designer: Villu Plink Graphic designers: Marti Laurimaa and Tuuli Aule |
