Jaak Soans
Jaak Soans | |
|---|---|
| Born | 6 August 1943 Tartu, Estonia |
| Education | Estonian State Art Institute (now Estonian Academy of Arts) |
| Known for | Public monuments and memorial sculpture |
| Awards | Order of the White Star, III class (2001)[1][2] Estonian state cultural award for lifetime achievement (2006)[3][4] Tallinn decoration (2023)[5] |
Jaak Soans (born 6 August 1943) is an Estonian sculptor and art educator, known especially for public monuments and memorial sculpture in Estonia and abroad.[6][7]
Soans taught for decades at the institution now known as the Estonian Academy of Arts (EKA), including as professor and head of the sculpture department, and later became emeritus professor.[6][8]
Early life and education
[edit]Soans was born in Tartu.[6] He studied sculpture at the Estonian State Art Institute (Eesti NSV Riiklik Kunstiinstituut), graduating in 1966.[6][9]
Career
[edit]Soans began teaching while still a student and continued as a long-term instructor and professor in Estonia's higher art education system, alongside his studio practice and public commissions.[6][9][8]
His work and public profile have been covered in Estonian cultural criticism and media, including a major feature in Sirp and reporting in ERR's culture coverage.[7][10]
Works
[edit]Soans is widely associated with monumental public sculpture, including commemorative monuments and memorials.[6][9]
Selected public monuments and memorials
[edit]- Anton Hansen Tammsaare memorial (Tammsaare Park, Tallinn, 1978).[12]
- Bas-relief memorial to Michel Sittow (Rataskaevu 22, Tallinn, 1982).[13]
- Monument to Kristjan Jaak Peterson (Tartu).[14]
- Monument to Jakob Hurt (Tartu).[15]
- Monument to writer Jaan Kross (Tallinn, unveiled 2022).[11][16]
- Lenin monument “V. I. Lenin. Decree on Land” (Schwerin, Germany, unveiled 1985).[17][18][19]
- Playing Waves (Wijk aan Zee sculpture park “Een Zee van Staal”, Netherlands, 1999).[20]
- Deportation memorial at Võru railway station (Võru, 2016).[21]
- Deportation memorial at Põlva railway station (Põlva, unveiled 2020).[22]
Collections and publications
[edit]Works by Soans are held in the collections of the Art Museum of Estonia (EKM), as documented in its digital collections portal.[23] His work has also been presented in a book-length illustrated overview (1966–2016), reported in Estonian cultural media and listed in art-publication archives.[24][25]
Images of selected works
[edit]
Monument to Jakob Hurt (Tartu)
Bas-relief memorial to Michel Sittow (Tallinn)
Monument to writer Jaan Kross (Tallinn)
Lenin monument "Decree on Land" (Schwerin)
Deportation memorial (Võru railway station)
Deportation memorial (Põlva railway station)
Abstract work (Untitled)
_V%C3%B5ru.jpg)
Awards and honours
[edit]References
[edit]- 1 2 "Teenetemärkide andmine". Riigi Teataja (in Estonian). Retrieved 21 February 2026.
- 1 2 "Jaak Soans". President of the Republic of Estonia (in Estonian). Retrieved 21 February 2026.
- 1 2 "Eesti Vabariigi kultuuripreemiate määramine" (PDF). Riigi Teataja (in Estonian). Retrieved 21 February 2026.
- 1 2 "Eesti Vabariigi kultuuripreemiad". Kultuuriministeerium (in Estonian). Retrieved 21 February 2026.
- 1 2 "Jaak Soans". City of Tallinn (in Estonian). Retrieved 21 February 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Soans, Jaak". EKABL: Eesti kunsti ja arhitektuuri biograafiline leksikon (in Estonian). Retrieved 21 February 2026.
- 1 2 Kurg, Andres (14 September 2012). "Jaak Soans Tallinna Kunstihoones". Sirp (in Estonian). Retrieved 21 February 2026.
- 1 2 "Emeritus professors and associate professors". Estonian Academy of Arts. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 "Õnnitleme auliiget Jaak Soansi 80. aasta juubeli puhul!". Eesti Kunstnike Liit (in Estonian). Retrieved 21 February 2026.
- ↑ "Jaak Soans rikastab skulptuurivaimu". ERR Kultuur (in Estonian). Retrieved 21 February 2026.
- 1 2 "Jaan Krossi skulptuur". Tallinna linnaruumis asuvad kunstiteosed (Tallinn Public Art Map) (in Estonian). Retrieved 21 February 2026.
- ↑ "Anton Hansen Tammsaare mälestusmärk". Tallinna linnaruumis asuvad kunstiteosed (Tallinn Public Art Map) (in Estonian). Retrieved 21 February 2026.
- ↑ "Michel Sittowi bareljeef". Tallinna linnaruumis asuvad kunstiteosed (Tallinn Public Art Map) (in Estonian). Retrieved 21 February 2026.
- ↑ "Monument to Kristjan Jaak Peterson". Visit Tartu. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
- ↑ "Monument to Jakob Hurt". Visit Tartu. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
- ↑ "Gallery: Statue of author Jaan Kross unveiled in Tallinn's Old Town". ERR News. 19 February 2022. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
- ↑ "Germany's Battle Over What May Be Its Last Lenin". KPBS. 5 July 2014. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
- ↑ "Offener Brief gegen Denkmalschutz für Schweriner Lenin-Statue". Deutschlandfunk Kultur (in German). 30 October 2025. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
- ↑ "Streit um Lenin-Statue in Schwerin: Eine altvertraute Debatte". taz (in German). 9 November 2025. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
- ↑ "De Beelden". Een Zee van Staal. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
- ↑ "Küüditatute mälestusmärk Võru raudteejaamas". Puhka Eestis (Visit Estonia) (in Estonian). Retrieved 21 February 2026.
- ↑ Nael, Merili (14 June 2020). "Põlva raudteejaama ees avati küüditatutele mälestusmärk". ERR (in Estonian). Retrieved 21 February 2026.
- ↑ Karjatse, Tõnu (13 December 2016). "Skulptor Jaak Soansi looming on koondatud raamatukaante vahele". ERR Kultuur (in Estonian). Retrieved 21 February 2026.
- ↑ "Monographies and artist books". CCA (Centre for Contemporary Arts, Estonia) archive. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
- ↑ "Kristjan Raua preemia laureaadid 1973–2025" (PDF). Eesti Kunstnike Liit (in Estonian). Retrieved 21 February 2026.
- ↑ "2013. aasta aruanne" (PDF). Eesti Kultuurkapital (in Estonian). Retrieved 21 February 2026.
External links
[edit]
Media related to Sculptures by Jaak Soans at Wikimedia Commons- "Soans, Jaak". EKABL: Eesti kunsti ja arhitektuuri biograafiline leksikon (in Estonian). Retrieved 21 February 2026.
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