New and Ongoing Exhibitions in Tallinn

2026 will mark the 20th anniversary of the opening of the Kumu Art Museum. For this occasion, the museum has put together a special jubilee programme that will include exciting special events, including themed tours, a quiz series and a courtyard party.

Tallinn City Life Museum underwent a refresh last year and will reopen its doors in November 2025 with two new permanent exhibitions Lyndanise. Reval. Tallinn. City Life Through the Centuries and The Wealthy and Handsome. The Brotherhood of Blackheads in Tallinn. Both exhibitions in the newly renovated City Life Museum offer a fascinating insight into the history of the city of Tallinn and its society.

Kumu Art Museum – Triumph of Galatea. Art in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

2026 will mark the 20th anniversary of the opening of the Kumu Art Museum. The opening exhibition of Kumu's anniversary year symbolically focuses on the current issue of art and artificial intelligence. The international group exhibition will feature works by a range of international artists examining the changes and developments in human experience in culture and society in connection with the onslaught of new technologies.

Participating artists are Andreas Albrectsen, Maria Arnal, Tilman Hornig, Olga Jürgenson, Marge Monko, Bernard Picart, Darja Popolitova, Jon Rafman, Sten Saarits, Jens Settergren, Jan Zuiderveld and Timo Toots.

The exhibition is open from 13 February to 9 August 2026.

Seaplane Harbour – The call of the sea. Art collection of the Estonian Maritime Museum

The Estonian Maritime Museum's art collection, comprised of more than 900 works, has never been displayed on such a large scale before. The collection is made special by the fact that most of the artists represented have been seafarers, fishermen, captains and naval officers rather than professional artists.

The exhibition gives an overview of the Estonian Maritime Museum's art collection and some of the sub-genres of maritime art, but most of all it is a tribute to the artists who answered the call of the sea with brushstrokes.

The exhibition will be open from 13 February to 1 November 2026.

PoCo Pop & Contemporary Art Museum – Björn Koop. 1982.

This personal exhibition of Estonia's most successful car designer showcases the impressive career of Valga’s Björn Koop in international automotive flagships. Koop has been a designer at both Kia and Mitsubishi car factories, and has designed the bodies of cars we are familiar with on our streets.

The exhibition is open from 29 January to 31 July 2026.

Kumu Art Museum – Carl Sigismund Walther. In the Artist's Living Room

The most important painter of the Baltic Biidermeier era in Tallinn arrived here from Dresden in the early 19th century. During his time here, he created a considerable number of works in various genres, painting portraits, landscapes and altarpieces for churches all over Estonia. Walther's works complement the Kumu Art Museum's main permanent exhibition dedicated to Estonian art and provide an insight into cultural and educational life in Tallinn at the beginning of the modern era.

The exhibition is open from 4 December 2025 until 4 October 2026.

Kumu Art Museum – Harku 1975. Objects, Concepts

This is an exhibition that aims to reconstruct another exhibition. In December 1975, a legendary art event called Harku 1975 took place at the Harku Institute of Experimental Biology near Tallinn, led by Leonhard Lapin, Sirje Runge and Raul Meel, with Tõnu Karu representing young scientists. The exhibition included prints, paintings, kinetic sculptures and a rock concert.

The significance of the 1975 exhibition is underscored by the fact that many of the works shown there are now included in the permanent exhibition of Soviet-era art at the Kumu Art Museum.

The exhibition is open from 30 October 2025 until 18 October 2026.

Kadriorg Art Museum – Symphony of Art and Nature. The Serlachius Collection

The works of one of Finland's most prominent art foundations are on display in Estonia for the first time. The collection of the influential art patron Gösta Serlachius (1876–1942) is an assortment of both masterpieces of Finnish art and more immediate examples of the creative process, such as sketches and drafts. The exhibition brings together Finnish art classics, works by the Old Masters of Western Europe, and contemporary Finnish art

The exhibition is open from 28 February to 23 August 2026.

Kumu Art Museum – Karin Luts. Pictures from Travels

Karin Luts was one of the most prominent Estonian female artists at the beginning of the last century, whose travel impressions captured in drawings, paintings and diaries allow us to reflect on the importance of travel. The focus of the exhibition is on watercolours and sketches from her trips to Italy, Spain, France and her new homeland, Sweden.

The exhibition is open from 20 March to 6 September 2026.

Mikkel Museum – Delft Blue. Ceramic Treasures from a Private Collection

Delft ceramics, the production of which began in the Netherlands in the early 16th century, following the example of Italian masters, became widely popular fashion items a hundred years later not only in the Netherlands, but throughout Europe. The success of the Delft masters was ensured by imitating the shapes and painting motifs of coveted but very expensive Chinese and Japanese porcelain. Blue-and-white ceramics, embellished with cobalt underglaze painting, became the most popular.

The exhibition of the private collection provides a comprehensive overview of the few dozen factory and master craftsmen who worked in Delft for more than two centuries.

The exhibition is open from 28 March to 22 November 2026.

Estonian Museum of Applied Art and Design – Castle in the Air

The artists’ collective õhuLoss (Estonian for “castle in the air”) has been creating jewellery for more than twenty years. The group’s members – Piret Hirv, Kristiina Laurits, Eve Margus, Villu Plink, and Tanel Veenre – were students of the collective’s initiator Professor Kadri Mälk (1958–2023), jewellery artist and head of the jewellery and blacksmithing department at the Estonian Academy of Arts.

The exhibition tells the story of the group's jewellery and activities. The focus of õhuLoss lies on jewellery as an idea, a dream skilfully shaped from meaningful materials.

The exhibition is open from 7 November 2025 to 5 April 2026.

Estonian Museum of Applied Art and Design –Dark Sky of Imagination. Jewellery by Kadri Mälk

Kadri Mälk is among Estonia’s most internationally renowned jewellery artists, whose creative path has spanned nearly 40 years. The exhibition presents more than 200 works created by Kadri Mälk (1958-2023), including jewellery, objects and sketches. In addition, it showcases her collection of contemporary jewellery assembled over the years, comprising around two hundred works by both prominent international and Estonian artists.

The exhibition is open from 7 November 2025 to 5 April 2026.

Estonian Museum of Applied Art and Design – Project No 2. Guido Mamberg's Graphic Design from the 1930s–1940s

Guido Mamberg, who was born in Paide and studied art in Tallinn and Copenhagen, was Estonia’s first professional commercial graphic artist and one of the most important representatives of the Art Deco movement. Mamberg made a name for himself as an innovative and prolific advertising artist, designing Estonian newspapers and magazines for decades.

The exhibition focuses on Mamberg’s graphic design from the 1930s–1940s, including posters and packaging graphics.

The exhibition is open from 20 October 2025 to 5 April 2026

Kumu Art Museum – no beginning, no end. Decolonial Gestures in Sámi Worldbuilding

The exhibition highlights the complex journey of the Sámi people as they strive for Indigenous justice and self-determination through decolonial worldbuilding. The works of contemporary artists trace the Sámi struggle for land rights, language preservation, and cultural sovereignty.

The exhibition is open from 11 September 2026 to 14 March 2027.

Kadriorg Art Museum – Metamorphoses: Power. Violence. Gender

Metamorphoses, a work by the Roman poet Ovid, contains over 250 Greek and Roman myths. The work has been called the bible of artists because it has inspired artists from the late Middle Ages to the present day.

The exhibition presents a selection of artworks based on well-known myths from museums in Estonia, the Czech Republic, France and Sweden, as well as rare historical volumes from libraries. The results of technical studies carried out on the ceiling paintings of Kadriorg Palace in 2024 and exciting new findings made during long-term research on archival materials will also be presented to the public.

The exhibition is open from 10 October 2026 until 28 February 2027.

Kumu Art Museum – Tu and Whozzy

Kumu’s first exhibition created especially for children takes visitors into a fairy-tale world where art meets play. Imaginative installations and colorful characters inspire creativity and offer opportunities to explore art through play and storytelling. The exhibition encourages children to embark on adventures of their own, creating a unique experience for the whole family.

The exhibition will be open from 17 October 2025 to 31 October 2027.

Kumu Art Museum – Spiegel im Spiegel. Encounters Between Estonian and German Art

The exhibition brings together works by Estonian and German artists, from Lucas Cranach to Gerhard Richter and Arvo Pärt. The artworks open dialogues between different eras and styles, highlighting the role of art in building cultural connections. The display offers rich visual and auditory experiences, merging classical and contemporary art into a cohesive whole.

The exhibition will be open from 24 October 2025 to 12 April 2026.

Mikkel Museum – Pledge of Freedom: The Art Collection of Mykolas Žilinskas

The exhibition introduces Lithuanian art collector Mykolas Žilinskas and his private collection of nearly 1,600 artworks, ranging from Old Masters to 20th-century avant-garde. Visitors can see a selection of paintings, graphics, and sculptures that reflect Žilinskas’s mission to preserve and support Lithuanian cultural identity in exile. Themes of home and alienation, the role of art in nationhood, and the institutions safeguarding artistic heritage emerge throughout.

The exhibition will be open from 8 November 2025 to 8 March 2026.

Niguliste Museum – Dives Toletana: Treasures of Toledo Cathedral from Medieval to El Greco

The exhibition unveils the rich treasury of Toledo Cathedral, featuring rare textiles, liturgical objects, and paintings from the 11th to 17th centuries. It emphasizes the connections between sacred art, religious identity, and history — alongside works by El Greco, pieces by José de Ribera and medieval aesthetics stand out. 3D reconstructions guide visitors into the spiritual and architectural depths of the cathedral.

The exhibition will be open from 22 November 2025 to 29 March 2026.

Fotografiska Tallinn – Anton Corbijn. Corbijn, Anton

The versatile and internationally acclaimed Anton Corbijn has worked in photography, feature films and music videos, having created an impressive array of music videos for artists such as U2, Johnny Cash, Arcade Fire, Depeche Mode, Nirvana, Metallica, Nick Cave, Coldplay, The Killers and Roxette.

In 2025, the master photographer marked a double anniversary – celebrating both his 70th birthday and 50 years of creative work. To mark this special milestone, he opened a major retrospective at Fotografiska, which continues its journey to Tallinn in January 2026, after a successful premiere in Stockholm.

The exhibition is open from 24 January to 30 April 2026.

Juhan Kuus Documentary Photo Centre – Human Baltic – Baltic Humanist Photography 1960 to 1990

The exhibition features photographs from a time when life behind the Iron Curtain was like two parallel realities. In one, plans were fulfilled, people smiled and slogans promised a bright future. In the other, daily life included empty counters and queues, market days and domestic habits that did not fit into the "official image". Many of the photographs in the exhibition invite the viewer to read between the lines.

The exhibition will be open from 4 February to 26 April 2026.

Tallinn City Life Museum – Lyndanise. Reval. Tallinn. City Life Through the Centuries

By the end of the prehistoric era, a stronghold stood on a limestone hill called the Lyndanise, later known as Toompea, with a safe harbour at its foot. Tallinn’s story as a city began in 1219, when Valdemar II of Denmark established a Danish seat of power at Toompea. A settlement of merchants and craftsmen sprang up at the foot of the hill. The lower town was named Reval, after the ancient Estonian county Rävala, while locals started calling it Taani linn (Danish city), the name that eventually evolved into Tallinn.

The exhibition offers an overview of how everyday life in Tallinn has evolved through the centuries, and how city dwellers have imagined the Tallinn of their dreams.

The new permanent exhibition on the 4th floor of Tallinn City Life Museum opened on 22 November 2025.

Tallinn City Life Museum – The Wealthy and Handsome. The Brotherhood of Blackheads in Tallinn

2025 marked 625 years since the brotherhood was first mentioned in historical records. The exhibition opened to mark this anniversary explores the history and traditions of the Brotherhood of Blackheads from the 15th century to the present day and highlights how its role in city life has evolved over the centuries. The exhibition showcases the Blackheads’ incredible art treasures, archival records and the assets the brotherhood holds today.

The exciting new exhibition on the second floor of the museum offers a fascinating insight into the history of the brotherhood that helped shape Tallinn into a prosperous trading city.

Estonian History Museum, Maarjamäe Palace – You Have an Inheritance

The exhibition at Maarjamäe Palace explores the concept of cultural heritage and its transmission: what earlier generations chose to build or demolish, and how to distinguish the significant from the incidental or hidden heritage. It presents themes related to valuing historical traces and celebrates the centenary of heritage protection in Estonia. The exhibition is suitable for the whole family, offering activities and discoveries for all ages.

The exhibition will be open from 3 October 2025 to 30 August 2026.

Kiek in de Kök Fortifications Museum – Moomin Peace. Joy and Wisdom

The exhibition invites visitors of all ages to discover the peace and sense of safety of Moominvalley within the Kiek in de Kök tower — green meadows, blooming trees, and beloved Moomin characters depict a worldview where fast storms and a threatening comet intertwine with calm and presence. The tower as a fortification and the Moominhouse together symbolize a paradoxical peace — withdrawn from society yet reflecting its essence.

The exhibition also celebrates the 80th anniversary of the first Moomin story and the 50th anniversary of the first Moomin book published in Estonian.

The exhibition will be open from 5 September 2025 to 30 September 2026.

Kiek in de Kök Fortifications Museum – History of Estonian Civil Defence

A joint exhibition by the Estonian Firefighting Museum and the Rescue Board leads visitors through the bastion passages to explore a century of civil protection in Estonia, from the 1930s to the present day. Photos, printed materials, objects, and audiovisual content examine sheltering, crisis preparedness, and evacuation practices. The exhibition concludes with a new interview film created specifically for it, in which the protagonist recalls the March 1944 bombing of Tallinn through the memories of a 10-year-old child.

The exhibition will be open from 13 May 2025 to 31 May 2026.

Kalamaja Museum – A Trip to the Land of the Green Sun. The story of a Kalamaja family

The exhibition at the Kalamaja Museum tells the story of one family through the history of the district: themes of home, identity, memory, migration, and recovery emerge. Visitors can see photos, documents, family objects, and narratives intertwining community and personal layers. The story offers hope — how to find a foundation among ruins upon which to rebuild life.

The exhibition will be open from 25 September 2025 to 6 September 2026.

The People's Museum of Tallinn – Stories of a Young Capital. The Vibrant Twenties.

This exhibition brings to life the stories of 1920s Tallinn communities through the eyes of a dozen characters. Visitors see photos, documents, and visual designs that highlight contrasts — from new homes and electric transport to aviation, mobilization, and hope. The design draws inspiration from Geometry, emphasizing Tallinn’s visual language and political shifts of the era.

The exhibition will be open from 22 May 2025 to 31 December 2026.

The Great Guildhall building of the Estonian History Museum – The Glory of the Hanseatic League. How wealth was born in the Middle Ages

The Hanseatic League was an association of mainly German-speaking merchant towns, with trading posts throughout northern Europe. At the same time, it was also a business network between enterprising traders.

At the heart of the exhibition is a merchant, whose biography gives visitors insight into the whole Hanseatic system and how the wealth and culture of the Middle Ages made its way to this land. There will be artefacts reflecting medieval wealth, archaeological finds never before exhibited and some unique artefacts from Hamburg and Riga.

The venue of the exhibition is emblematic – the Great Guildhall building was the representative office of Tallinn's wealthiest merchants during the Hanseatic League era and a jewel among Nordic commercial buildings.

The exhibition is open from 28 May 2025 to 10 January 2027.

Kalamaja museum – Magical Realism of Kopli

The exhibition reveals the unique atmosphere and history of the Kopli district, combining artistic displays and historical photographs to depict the life and distinctiveness of Kopli. The exhibition includes works by both well-known and lesser-known artists, providing a profound and poetic look into everyday life in Kopli. In May 2024, Kalamaja Museum received the Silletto Award of the European Museum of the Year Award, which recognises community participation and engagement.

The exhibition is open from 26 April 2024 to 30 April 2026.

Museum of Estonian Architecture – Greater Old Town. 12 Visions

The exhibition is an attempt to create a dialogue between different ways of relating to the city, with responses from 12 artists. Based on the research of the exhibition's curator Villem Tomiste, the artists bring into focus visions, or fantasies, that have circled the Old Town walls throughout time. The exhibition intends to broaden the perceived borders and boundaries of Tallinn’s Old Town and allude to Tallinn’s spatial dynamics.

The exhibition is open from 24 January to 3 May 2026.

The Estonian Museum of Applied Art and Design  and the Town Jail Photography Museum in the Old Town are open until 20:00 on Thursdays.

Fotografiska is open until 20:00 from Monday-Saturday and until 18:00 on Sundays.

The Kadriorg Art Museum and the Mikkel Museum in Kadriorg are places that can be enjoyed into the evening on Wednesdays as both museums are open until 20:00, while the Kumu Art Museum is open until 20:00 on Thursdays.

The Kalamaja museum is open until 20:00 on both Wednesdays and Thursdays.

If you plan on visiting several museums whilst enjoying a comfortable visit in the city and want to save time and money, get the Tallinn Card. You can buy the card for a validity period of 24, 48, or 72 hours and it allows you to visit nearly 50 of Tallinn's top museums and attractions. The card also includes free travel on public transport in Tallinn and discounts on tours, entertainment venues, restaurants and shops.

We recommend purchasing the Tallinn Card via the mobile app – this way you will receive personalised visit recommendations and easily find your way to all the interesting attractions using the convenient map function of the app.

Extra tip: with the Tallinn Card you can skip the line at the Tallinn TV Tower, Tallinn Zoo and Estonian Open Air Museum.

NOBA is an international web platform where exhibitions of contemporary art in Tallinn and other nearby cities are gathered together. The website includes an interactive map that allows you to find exhibitions that are open for a limited time in both larger and smaller galleries. The calendar's content is created in collaboration with exhibition establishments, who input the information themselves. The NOBA team ensures that all major exhibitions are available online.

View NOBA's exhibition map here: https://noba.ac/et/naitustekaart/