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.
Read more: ERR.EE
