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
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
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
Soans is widely associated with monumental public sculpture, including commemorative monuments and memorials.[6][9]
Selected public monuments and memorials
- 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
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
Monument to Jakob Hurt (Tartu)
Bas-relief memorial to Michel Sittow (Tallinn)- Monument to writer Jaan Kross (Tallinn)
Lenin monument "Decree on Land" (Schwerin)_V%C3%B5ru.jpg)
Deportation memorial (Võru railway station)
Deportation memorial (Põlva railway station)
Abstract work (Untitled)
Awards and honours
References
- 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
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.