September 10 - October 13, 2019
Opening 10.09 kell 16.00

Evald Okas (1915–2011) is remembered in the art history of the 20th century as one of the best drawing artists of the world. He had only one competitor – Pablo Picasso. Whereas the erotic drawings of the Spanish genius were completed when the artist was still young, and they are kept like crown jewels between the medieval stone walls of Picasso Museum in Barcelona, our Evald Okas remained erotic even in advanced age and his most masterful drawings were born at the Man and Woman nude sketch masterclasses at the Museum of New Art in Pärnu. We, too, keep the art work by our great master as treasures. The nudes drawn, sketched and painted by Evald Okas in 1994–2008 in the Summer Capital of Estonia - Pärnu - are for the first time exhibited as a whole presentation at the show OKAS IN PÄRNU AND HIROSHIMA.

The second part of the exhibition reflects the deep sympathy the artist felt for the hundreds of thousands of people who perished or were crippled because of nuclear bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. And again, we must think of Picasso. The art work of both artists had a strong social aspect. In my opinion, Hiroshima, a large painting by Okas, can be compared to Guernica by Picasso. Both cities were burned down in the fire of war. Only few inhabitants escaped alive. Both works reflect powerful protest against total violence and desire to share the pain of victims.

During his trip to Japan in October, 1963, Okas sketched a number of Japanese women, as a result of which, back at his tudio in Tallinn he created a series of paintings in 1963-65, most of which were kept in Estonian Art Museum and in Tartu Art Museum.

We also hope to introduce the other series of paintings and graphics by Okas about Paris, Venice etc. where he managed to travel as a member of Russian Art Academy in 1960-ies.

Okas’s exhibition is followed by that of Japanese architecture and urban planning in XX Century, asking a tricky question – perhaps the cities without any planning develop more successfully than those planned by strickt urbanists?

CITIES IN TROUBLES about Tokyo’s sprawl mainly is brought to us by Japanese Embassy. The capacios exhibition (two huge truckfuls!!!) has travelled through Asia, America, Australia, New Zealand. Now this abundant show of scale models, videos and urban plans landed in Europe and straight in Estonia.

I advise to come to see and think – where are you heading for, our dear mankind?

Mark Soosaar
Curator of the Museum of New Art