New and Ongoing Exhibitions in Tallinn

Kumu Art Museum – The Mei Sisters: Avant-Garde and the Everyday Life

The exhibition is a fascinating glimpse into the historical ranks of Estonian female artists and looks at the works of Kristine (1895-1969), Lydia (1896-1965) and Natalie (1900-1975) Mei, the three daughters of a sailor from Hiiumaa. The sisters entered the Estonian art scene in the second half of the 1910s, with their work exploring themes unusual for female artists at the time, as well as utilising less appreciated techniques.

On display are the sisters' watercolours, drawings, miniature sculptures, as well as handmade books and utensils. The exhibition is complemented by a wealth of photographic material and an overview of the sisters' social circles.

The exhibition is open from 14 March to 31 August 2025.

Kumu Art Museum – “They Began to Talk”

The international group exhibition explores the relationship between the body and the environment in an era of dramatic environmental change. The exhibition features works by artists from Estonia and the Baltics, together with works by Nordic indigenous artists, exploring the possibility of restoring a sense of connection between one’s body and the earth.

The exhibition will be open from 7 February to 3 August 2025.

Kumu Art Museum – Ragnar Kjartansson: "Boy and girl and bush and bird"

Icelandic video creator and painter Ragnar Kjartansson's first solo exhibition in Estonia features six large-scale works from 2004-2025. The works offer a fascinating insight into the work of an acclaimed and distinctive artist influenced by pop music, art history and more indirect political dramas.

The exhibition is open from 16 May to 21 September 2025.

Kadriorg Art Museum – Bernardo Strozzi: In the shadow of Master Caravaggio

In 2025, the Kadriorg Art Museum will celebrate 25 years as a branch of the Art Museum of Estonia.
An international major exhibition is the highlight of the silver jubilee, bringing together nearly 50 works by Italian baroque master Bernardo Strozzi (1582-1644) from European museums and private collections. The exhibition offers a comprehensive overview of Strozzi's diverse oeuvre, including religious images, portraits, genre scenes and still lifes.

The exhibition will be open from 29 March to 6 July 2025.

Mikkel Museum – Art Addiction: Reigo Kuivjõgi’s art collection

The exhibition introduces the collection of gallerist, art collector and contemporary art promoter Reigo Kuivjõgi, which includes a number of Estonian artists ranging from renowned masters to younger generation talents.

The exhibition will be open from 23 May to 19 October 2025. 

Niguliste Museum – Estonian Book 500. Relics

2025 marks 500 years since the first Estonian-language book was published, and the anniversary is celebrated as the Year of the Estonian Book. The exhibition at Niguliste Museum presents the rarest relics of Estonian bibliography and gives an overview of the development of the written language and printing from the 16th to the 19th century.

The exhibition is open from 25 April 2025 until 26 October 2023.

Adamson-Eric Museum – Azulejos: Pearls of Portugal

This is a unique opportunity to discover Portugal's artistic heritage in the heart of Tallinn’s Old Town.
The exhibition showcases the world's unique and highly prized Portuguese ceramic tile tradition known as azulejo. The beautiful, intricate tiles cover the walls of churches, monasteries, palaces, metro stations and residential buildings and have become an integral part of urban space, reflecting Portugal's rich cultural history of the past 500 years.

The exhibition will be open from 4 April to 7 September 2025.

PoCo Pop and Contemporary Art Museum – Katja Tukiainen. Pink girls

Katja Tukiainen is a Finnish painter and comic artist from the city of Pori, whose paintings and drawings of girls in pink tones form a large and important part of her oeuvre.

Tukiainen's pink works will be on display throughout the summer and will provide an opportunity to get to know a colourful representative of Finnish contemporary art.

The exhibition will be open from 28 March 2025.

Estonian Museum of Applied Art and Design – Garbage Kids

The exhibition features a display of handmade furniture and objects by Estonian-Georgian creative collective Garbage Kids. The unique pieces of furniture on display incorporate scavenged materials such as broken branches, scrap metal and stone from abandoned quarries in their construction.

The exhibition is open from 12 June to 12 October 2025.

Mikkel Museum – Sooster 100. View from Private Collections

The exhibition celebrating the 100th anniversary of Ülo Sooster's birth brings together for the first time works from private collections that belong to the heritage of Estonian modernism and surrealism. Sooster's playful yet profound creations combine Eastern European art movements with European surrealism, offering unique insights into his drawings and paintings.

The exhibition is open from 18 October 2024 to 4 May 2025.

Fotografiska Tallinn – Elliott Erwitt. Through the playful eyes of Elliott Erwitt

The retrospective exhibition of French-born U.S. documentary photographer Elliott Erwitt's photography spans seven decades of his career and highlights playful moments, humorous perspectives and profound reflections.
The exhibition features his cult black-and-white photographs alongside lesser-known works, as well as his early photographs from 1949 and a number of colour photographs from Erwitt's later period.

The exhibition is open from 21 March to 31 August 2025.

Fotografiska Tallinn – Lembit Peegel solo exhibition

Fotografiska welcomes the new year, during which Tallinn will hold the title of European Capital of Sport, with a retrospective exhibition of the legendary sports photographer Lembit Peegel. The exhibition features approximately 60 photographs, capturing emotional moments that offer a cross-section of Estonian sports culture over the past 60 years. The photographs capture iconic moments from events such as the Tartu Ski Marathon and the Pirita-Kose-Kloostrimetsa Circuit races. The stories behind the photographs have been documented with the help of experts from the Estonian Sports and Olympic Museum.

The exhibition is open from 24 January to 18 May 2025.

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.

Estonian History Museum Maarjamäe Palace – Everlasting Summer!

After extensive renovations, Maarjamäe Palace will once again open the doors to its attractive summer hall with the "Everlasting Summer" exhibition, where visitors can travel back in time to the atmosphere of the castle at the end of the 19th century. At the time, Maarjamäe Palace belonged to Count Anatoly Orlov-Davydov, who had a permanent residence in St. Petersburg and used the beautiful seaside residence at Maarjamäe as a summer retreat. The exhibition allows visitors to peer into the home of a noble family and experience the carefree holiday atmosphere there.

The exhibition will be open from 24 April to 23 November 2025.

The People’s Museum of Tallinn – Flying Tram

The exhibition is based on the more than century long history of tram transport in Tallinn, an integral part of everyday life in the city.
Recent changes, such as the opening of a new tram line and the arrival of the modern Pesa Twist trams, also serve as inspiration. However, beyond the historical and technological aspects, the exhibition also explores the emotions and unique atmosphere associated with tram travel.

The exhibition will be open from 6 March 2025 until January 2026.

Seaplane Harbour – Famous sea voyages. The broadening horizons of Europeans

The exhibition introduces the great sea voyages of 18th-19th century Europe using maps, historical artefacts and navigational equipment. Estonian explorers, such as Adam Johann von Krusenstern, also feature prominently. The exhibition also looks at the contradictory legacies of colonialism and imperialism, which in the eyes of the scientific community overshadow valuable voyages of discovery to this day.

The exhibition also features a tall ship’s mast, which can be climbed high up under the dome of the Seaplane Harbour hangars. The more adventurous can also test themselves with a free jump from the top of the mast!

The exhibition is open from 19 October 2024 to 31 August 2025.

Kalamaja muuseum – Arrowgroup: “In Murky Waters II”

The interactive installation exhibit by the art group Arrowgroup (Triinu Jürves and Villem Jahu) combines collages, animations and found materials, playing with Kalamaja's industrial past and visions of the future. The exhibition invites viewers to actively participate, offering both fairytale elements and serious questions in a humorous format.

The exhibition is open from 28 September 2024 to 1 September 2025.

Estonian History Museum – Maarjamäe Stables – Me, Estonian! An Exhibition about Bold People

The exhibition's central theme is the stories of foreigners who settled in Estonia after its re-independence and now consider it their homeland. People from Venezuela, Japan, France, Georgia, the Czech Republic, Turkey and other parts of the world who have relocated to Estonia are featured in the exhibition, with each sharing their personal journey as well as two items– one reflecting their origin and national identity and the other symbolising Estonia for them.

The exhibition is open from 7 June 2024 to 8 June 2025.

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 – Tallinn at full sail. Olympic construction transforming the city

In 2025, it will be 45 years since the Tallinn Olympic Sailing Regatta, which was part of the 1980 Moscow Olympics.
In preparation for the event, major construction works were planned in Tallinn at the time. The now legendary Pirita Yachting Centre, Tallinn TV Tower and the

Olümpia Hotel were completed, but many office, cultural and residential buildings were also built and some previously industrial seaside areas were opened to the public.

The exhibition showcases one of Tallinn's most ambitious urban design projects, with more than 120 architectural objects designed. Some of them came to fruition, but others never left the drawing board.

The exhibition will be open at the Estonian Museum of Architecture and the courtyard of the Estonian Museum of Applied Art and Design from 30 April to 28 September 2025.

Theatre and Music Museum – Astounding stories about theatre and music

The centennial exhibition of the Estonian Theatre and Music Museum highlights colourful and often surprising stories from Estonian theatre and music life. Rare items, documents and photographs are on display, telling the stories of both famous and unknown figures and events. For the first time, the entire building of the museum is opened to the public, allowing them to explore rooms where the archives used to be and where historians once worked.

The exhibition is open from 23 March to 31 August 2025.

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/