Kondas Center
Kondas Center
5
About
Kondas Center primarily focuses on naive and "outsider" art. The museum was opened in 2003 in a late 19th century rectory building. We have a permanent exhibition of Estonia's most famous naive painter Paul Kondas - who lived in Viljandi most of his life. Kondas' most well-known painting is "Strawberry Eaters", hence one may find large concrete strawberries allover the streets of Viljandi. We do some 30 temporary exhibitions yearly, half of them are by self-taught artists and the other half by professional artists.
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5.0
14 reviews
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Globetrotter045
Haacht, Belgium5,458 contributions
Jun 2019 • Solo
It is a small charming museum dedicated to the local artist Paul Kondas. His naive paintings are cheerful but with an unusual twist.
The museum staff is very friendly. They will give you an introduction to his work and show you his double-sided paintings. Afterwards you can visit the museum on your own.
The big strawberries scattered around the town are a reference to his painting 'The Strawberry Eaters'.
Entrance price is 3€.
The museum staff is very friendly. They will give you an introduction to his work and show you his double-sided paintings. Afterwards you can visit the museum on your own.
The big strawberries scattered around the town are a reference to his painting 'The Strawberry Eaters'.
Entrance price is 3€.
Written 14 July 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Надежда Н
Москва, Россия9 contributions
Sep 2016 • Friends
Kondase Keskus is a wonderful museum of naive and outsider art, located in the former pastorate building of a nearby church in Viljandi. It is dedicated to one of Estonia’s best known naivists Paul Kondas and has a huge collection of his paintings. In addition to the works of Kondas the museum contains an extensive exposition of other interesting naive artists. The staff of the museum is very friendly. This is one of the best museums of naive art that I have seen.
Written 15 March 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Anu
Estonia23 contributions
Oct 2016 • Couples
A nice little art space with interesting exhibitions of naivistic art and a small permanent collection. Very friendly staff.
Written 3 October 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
AdventurePhiles
Dallas, TX846 contributions
Aug 2016 • Couples
This a charming small museum, possibly the most engaging of its kind in Estonia. The collection is housed in a vintage brick building on Pikk Street, at the former vicarage of the nearby bell-playing St. John's Church, between the city center and the castle ruins. It features the paintings of the Estonian artist and teacher, Paul Kondas, who has been recognized internationally for his work in the naive style.
Kondas' life from 1900 to 1985 spanned the disruptive history of Estonian occupation by Russia and independence movements, as well as WW2 and all the modernist twists in art. His work, by turns, does too: it celebrates Estonian life and culture; digs surrealistically into nightmares, dreams and sexuality; condemns Soviet repression and the horrors of wartime - all in the colorful folk styles of the naive style. Many of his pieces are double-sided, with two very different works on related themes. Be sure to ask the staff to flip them around for you. The woman who helped us also gave us a very knowledgeable guided tour; her enthusiasm and excitement about all the art made the visit more special.
The ambitious museum also encourages other artists to create work for special exhibits here or hosts retrospectives. During our visit, two exhibitions were specifically made for showing at the museum. One room featured a series of meditations by England's John Digby on the moon and Chinese lunar poetry. Another was an op-art painting extravaganza by animation artist Mati Kutt. Another room looked back over 30 years of figurative work by the surrealistic provocateur Raul Rajangu.
Kondas' life from 1900 to 1985 spanned the disruptive history of Estonian occupation by Russia and independence movements, as well as WW2 and all the modernist twists in art. His work, by turns, does too: it celebrates Estonian life and culture; digs surrealistically into nightmares, dreams and sexuality; condemns Soviet repression and the horrors of wartime - all in the colorful folk styles of the naive style. Many of his pieces are double-sided, with two very different works on related themes. Be sure to ask the staff to flip them around for you. The woman who helped us also gave us a very knowledgeable guided tour; her enthusiasm and excitement about all the art made the visit more special.
The ambitious museum also encourages other artists to create work for special exhibits here or hosts retrospectives. During our visit, two exhibitions were specifically made for showing at the museum. One room featured a series of meditations by England's John Digby on the moon and Chinese lunar poetry. Another was an op-art painting extravaganza by animation artist Mati Kutt. Another room looked back over 30 years of figurative work by the surrealistic provocateur Raul Rajangu.
Written 1 September 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
KEITH58958
Bristol, UK41 contributions
Feb 2016
paul condas expos of naive art apart from others there which change on occasions.Very friendly staff full of information who will guide you around explaining the art present.It is set in a nice area very close to the castle ruins and the folk music centre.do visit these when in viljandi.
Written 20 February 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
NewYorkHildreth
New York66 contributions
Jun 2014 • Friends
This welcoming museum in the tow of Viljandi is worth a trip. In addition to its permanent collection of the works of its namesake, each room in this intimate space exhibited the works of naive artists from several countries and traditions. There was much to see and enjoy, including crafts focused on strawberries, an image central to an important painting in the collection. This is a wonderful place to enjoy art in the context of village life. The staff is English speaking and will be happy to show you around. Don't miss this very special museum.
Written 17 June 2014
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MaJuTo
Switzerland69 contributions
May 2014 • Couples
I really enjoy watching Kondas naive art and reading about the explanation about his pictures.
very interesting to learn more about Estonia history that way :-)
And I like naive art :-)
very interesting to learn more about Estonia history that way :-)
And I like naive art :-)
Written 10 May 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Frequently Asked Questions about Kondas Center
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