Villu Jõgeva

1940–2019 · Estonian artist (1940-2019)
Eesti Kunstimuuseum

Born in the village of Navi in Võru County, Villu Jõgeva received his first professional education at the Võru Technical School of Local Industry, then studied at the Tallinn Polytechnic Institute and furthered his education at the Moscow Institute of Patents. He worked for years as a patent lawyer, but in recent decades was a freelance artist. Villu Jõgeva's path into the professional art world began in collaboration with his wife Malle Leis (1940–2017): together they created a unique, labour-intensive silkscreen printing technology. As a master of technical finesse, Jõgeva printed Leis's serigraphs in more than 18 colours. An important stage in Estonian art history is reflected in Villu Jõgeva's print-ready manuscript "Siiditrükilugu" [The History of Silkscreen Printing], completed in 2006. The artist's kinetic objects stand out for their demanding engineering-technical solutions. From 1973 he built electronics-based light- and sound-kinetic objects, though only a few were exhibited at the time of their creation. The object "Kaleidoskoop" [Kaleidoscope] (Art Museum of Estonia) is one of these, first shown as early as 1976 at the Tallinn Art Hall at an exhibition of experimental architecture. The public was able to become more thoroughly acquainted with Jõgeva's kinetic objects only in 1993, at the exhibition "Mobile 1". Several of his objects (for example "Sinine" [Blue], Art Museum of Estonia, 1973, restored 2004; "Oranž torn" [Orange Tower], Art Museum of Estonia, 1978, restored 1994/2004) are based on sound and light effects. Two of Jõgeva's objects have been acquired by the Zimmerli Art Museum of Rutgers University, USA. The artist's solo exhibitions took place in the last quarter century: in 2000 at the Tallinn Art Hall gallery, in 2002 and 2005 at G-Gallery, in 2004 at the art hall of the Riigikogu, and in 2008 at the Vabaduse Gallery (together with Malle Leis), in 2016 at the Pärnu Avangard Gallery (together with Leonhard Lapin and Malle Leis), and in 2017 at the Evald Okas Museum (together with his daughter Sandra Jõgeva and wife Malle Leis). Together with his wife he maintained extensive connections with Russian and American avant-garde artists. (machine translation of the holder's Estonian text, unedited)

Nothing for sale now. Follow new works for sale (RSS)

Browse 25 works in the catalogue →

Similar artists — same period, media and subjects: Rühmitus F.F.F.F. · Peeter Linnap · Toomas Kalve · Vello Muikma · Kalju Suur · Rein Välme

Contemporaries in Eesti Kunstimuuseum: Marju Mutsu · Sylvia Liiberg · Signe Mölder · Vladimir Makarenko · Eero Hiironen

By decade: 1970s · 2000s
By medium: Photograph · Sculpture · Installation
Where the works are: Art Museum of Estonia

← Villu Järmut · All artists A–Z · Villu Plink →

Museum records from MuIS and the EKM Digital Collection; gallery stock from the galleries' own catalogues; auction results as Haus Galerii, Vernissage, Allee galerii, Vaal galerii, E-Kunstisalong, Eesti Kunsti Oksjonid and Kunstikoda published them, and the lots Osta Noort Kunsti offered (it publishes no results). Full catalogue · Corrections, removals, questions: info@museaal.ee · Privacy