Eesti Kunstnikkude Rühm : Esimene Balti riikidewaheline kunstinäitus : Tartus - Tallinnas jaanuar-veebruar 1924 (Group of Estonian Artists : The First Joint Baltic Art Exhibition : Tartu-Tallinn January-Vebruary, 1924) [Exhibition Catalog]

Near fine condition; cover shows some minor soiling and slight foxing, damaged bottom edge of the spine; internally almost fine. 

Bernhard Linde signed copy (well-known Estonian literary critic, essayist and public figure, related to Young Estonia movement). 

Present the first joint exhibition of most important avant-garde groups in Estonian and Latvian art - Group of Riga Artists and Estonian Artists Group, was opened on January 6th in Tartu and on February 23th in Tallinn. Trying to develop international relations Estonian side headed by Jaan Vahtra had proposed to Latvians to organize joint exhibition focused on Cubism and Constructivism, and received an acceptance. But the Ministry of Education declined to fund an exhibition by the reason it was organized outside the Central Union of Estonian Visual Artists. That's why exhibition organizers had faced with funding problems. It was agreed to arrange the exhibition at the expense of the participants, so that earnings by artworks selling would had cover the expenses. An event acting organizers became Jaan Vahtra, Juhan Raudsepp and Eduard Ole in Tartu, Märt Laarman in Tallinn, also Latvians Romans Süta, Leo Svemps and Uga Skulme.

It is worth noting that, current catalog published for an exhibition was the first appeared in Estonia illustrated art exhibition catalog. It includes 17 full-page reproductions. According to the catalog, on display were 134 works in the fields of painting, graphics and sculpture (in Tallinn were 141, because had added 7 works by Laarman) by 16 most important avant-garde artists of both states. Among participants were most important representatives of Estonian Artists' Group - Eduard Ole, Friedrich Hist, Jaan Vahtra, sculptor Juhan Raudsepp, and prominent artists of Riga Group - Uga & Otto Skulme, Roman Suta, Konrad Uban, Sigismund Vidberg, Aleksandra Belcova and others. 

Although such kind of exhibition was the first to be held in Estonia, there had't been as much interest shown by the public, as organizers supposed. Exhibition attended almost 3000 visitors in both cities during three weeks while an exhibition was on view. Total artworks purchase amount was also quite low and even had not covered organizational costs. The most expensive art pieces sold were works by Uga Skulme, Jaan Vahtra and Märt Laarman. Although the innovation art movement The Group of Estonian Artists (established in 1923) most active creative period had lasted only several years because of poor economic situation, many outstanding cubist-geometrical works were created in the fields of painting, graphic arts, stage arts and sculpture, and it had a fundamental importance in the further development of Estonian art.