Curated by Magdalena Maasik, "Guardians of Morality and Women of Passion: The Image of Sex Work in Estonian Art in the First Half of the 20th Century" considers how the theme of sex work, including sex workers themselves, clients, "moral guardians" and other related figures, was depicted by Estonian artists influenced by contemporary art movements and close contacts with the German art scene chiefly in the 1920s and 1930s, according to a press release.

Perceptions of sex work have always been closely linked to social and personal moral standards, and Kumu's latest exhibition explores how Estonian artists have portrayed sex work, how their works reflect societal attitudes as well as whether these representations may have contributed to shaping said attitudes.

The period of the 20th century in focus marked a peak in the popularity of this subject among Estonian artists "not matched before or since," the museum noted.

"Although sex work continues to be a controversial subject, the sale of sexual services has always been a source of livelihood, and has provided inspiration for artists throughout the ages," Maasik said, commenting on her curated exhibition. "From the Renaissance to Romanticism, sex work was mainly depicted through idealized mythological nymphs or exiticised harem scenes. By the end of the 19th century, however, artists had begun to approach the subject in an increasingly realistic manner."

According to the curator, the bustling metropolises of a rapidly modernizing Europe attracted both artists seeking inspiration and sex workers, whose numbers had multiplied with the Industrial Revolution and urbanization, and who hoped to make a better living in the city. For the Impressionists, fascinated by modern life, brothels and cabarets, with their colorful characters, soon became favorite subjects. Sex work became a particularly popular theme in Expressionism, which emerged in Germany in the early 20th century, and in its more socially critical successors such as Verism and Neue Sachlichkeit ("New Objectivity").

Influenced by these modern movements and due to their close contacts with the German art scene, Estonian artists were also soon drawn to the subject of sex work, Maasik continued.

"In Estonian art, as elsewhere, the theme is mainly represented through female sex workers – they appear as menacing vampires, desirable femme fatales, grotesque figures reeking of disease and death and suffering victims," she described. "Alongside sex workers, different types of clients, pimps, brothel-keepers and 'moral guardians' stand out in the pieces, embodying the often hypocritical attitude of the society of the time toward sex work and sex workers."

"Guardians of Morality and Women of Passion" comprises part of the MA thesis Maasik defended at the Estonian Academy of Arts (EKA) this year.

The exhibition features more than 50 works, consisting of mostly prints, drawings and watercolors, by more than 20 artists, including Eduard Wiiralt, Gori, Natalie Mei, Ado Vabbe, Voldemar Kangro-Pool, Jenny Uttar, Aino Bach, Aleksander Promet, Erik Obermann and Oskar Kallis.

This exhibition is a part of Kumu Art Museum's third floor permanent exhibition "Landscapes of Identity: Estonian Art 1700-1945."

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