Evi Tihemets
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Evi Tihemets | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 21, 1932 |
| Other names | Evi Viires; Evi Tihemets-Viires |
| Citizenship | Estonian |
| Education | Estonian State Art Institute (1951–1958) |
| Known for | Printmaking; Book illustration; Collage |
| Spouse | Ants Viires |
| Children | Epp Viires |
| Awards | Kristjan Raud Art Award (1992; 2013); Wiiralt Prize (2011); Annual prize of the Visual and Applied Arts Endowment of the Cultural Endowment of Estonia (2007); Order of the White Star, IV class (2025) |
Evi Tihemets (born 21 August 1932), also known as Evi Viires and sometimes hyphenated as Evi Tihemets-Viires, is an Estonian printmaker and graphic artist. She studied at the Estonian State Art Institute and has worked primarily as a freelance artist, becoming known for colour-based printmaking across techniques and for later collage works assembled from earlier impressions and new elements.[1][2] Her work has been the subject of coverage in Estonian cultural press and presented in major museum programming, including a retrospective-style presentation at the Estonian National Museum.[3][4]
Tihemets was born in Tapa and studied at the Estonian State Art Institute from 1951 to 1958.[1] According to the Estonian Artists Association, she initially entered the institute intending to study painting but shifted to graphic art, completing her studies in book-related graphic training; she subsequently worked as a freelance artist.[2][1] She is listed as a member of the Estonian Artists Association from 1959 and as an honorary member from 2002.[1]
Career and work
Tihemets’ early career developed in the context of Soviet-era “creative trips” that sent artists to different regions; Estonian cultural writing highlights travel and field-sketching experiences that contributed to her visual language and subject matter in the late 1950s and early 1960s.[3][2] In later reflections and exhibition commentary, her work has been described as moving beyond direct depiction toward more reworked, idea-driven imagery, including broader thematic interests and formal experimentation in printmaking and mixed techniques.[3]
She is also associated with book illustration and print cycles; the 2010 Estonian Artists Association yearbook records her as trained in institute-era book/graphic work and as active in multiple printmaking formats across decades.[1]
Techniques and themes
Tihemets is documented as working across multiple printmaking techniques and combining processes to achieve specific visual effects; the Estonian Artists Association describes her as strongly oriented toward colour and complex printmaking solutions, and as later developing collage works by cutting and reassembling earlier prints with additional elements.[1][2] A major 2018 museum presentation, Dedication. Graphics by Evi Tihemets, juxtaposed earlier graphic sheets with large-scale collages and framed the exhibition as a dedication connected to the memory of her husband, ethnologist Ants Viires.[4]
Exhibitions
Tihemets has had solo exhibitions in Estonia over multiple decades; institutional exhibition records list repeated solo presentations in Tallinn venues (including Vabaduse Gallery and the Tallinn Art Hall Gallery) as well as shows in other Estonian galleries.[1] Her work has also been presented in contemporary-program contexts, including a 2023 solo exhibition opening in Telliskivi area that was covered by Estonia’s public broadcaster.[5]
In 2012–2013 she was recognised in connection with an extensive sequence of solo exhibitions marking her 80th year; the Estonian Artists Association’s Kristjan Raud Art Award record cites a series of exhibitions across venues during that period.[6] Exhibition announcements and cultural programming also document joint presentation contexts with her daughter, the artist Epp Viires.[7]
Internationally, she appears in participation lists for major print events; for example, she is listed (as “Tihemets Viires Evi, Estonia”) among participating artists for MTG Kraków 2012 on the website of the International Print Triennial Society in Kraków.[8]
Awards and honours
Tihemets has received multiple prizes and state recognition.
- Kristjan Raud Art Award (1992; 2013).[6]
- Annual prize of the Visual and Applied Arts Endowment of the Cultural Endowment of Estonia (2007), listed under the name “Evi Viires”.[9]
- Wiiralt Prize (main prize, 2011).[10][11]
- Order of the White Star, IV class (2025), listed in the official state decoration register (Riigi Teataja).[12]
Institutional biographical listings also record earlier competition and biennial distinctions (including prizes connected to Kraków print events and Tallinn print triennial contexts).[1]