The new exhibition, which is curated by Eero Epner and was developed in cooperation between the Art Museum of Estonia and the Musei Reali, has been timed to fall during the 100th anniversary of Mägi's trip to Italy, the Art Museum of Estonia said in a press release.

Including more than 50 paintings, portraits and sketches, it will be one of the artist's biggest solo shows in Europe.

Pieces included in the exhibition have come from the collections of the Art Museum of Estonia, Tartu Art Museum, the Estonian Students' Society (EÜS), and the private collections of Enn Kunila and Peeter Värnik.

Konrad Mägi (1878-1925) is considered the father of modern Estonian painting, and with his bold use of color and light effects has been compared to Vincent van Gogh and Alfred Sisley.

According to Musei Reali director Enrica Pagella, "The Light of the North" will simultaneously provide visitors with discovery and a challenge.

"I am sure that museum visitors will enjoy getting to know the artist's works, but I also assume that it will be quite the challenge for them as well," Pagella said. "On the one hand, we're introducing the to a relatively unknown artist and their world, which has been molded by experiences and encounters in Estonia, St. Petersburg, Paris and Rome. On the other hand, Mägi's paintings provide viewers with a real challenge, as his visual style, while straightforward, includes symbolism from a variety of artistic movements, from Art Nouveau and Fauvism to Impressionism and Expressionism, that must be interpreted against the backdrop of personal sources of inspiration like something that is from some faraway foreign land and follows only the practices of their homeland. Mägi is painter that, with his use of imagery, color and light, has added his on chapter to the cultural history of Europe."

Visitors will also be able to watch a special documentary about Mägi made especially for the new exhibition by director Marianne Kõrver.

"Konrad Mägi: The Light of the North" will be open to visitors at the Musei Reali di Torino from Nov. 30, 2019 through March 8, 2020. The exhibition will thereafter reopen in Espoo, Finland in fall 2021.

Click here for tickets and more information about the Musei Reali. 

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