Tiiu Kirsipuu

Artist's country of origin: Estonia

Tiiu Kirsipuu (born 1957 in Tartu) is a sculptor whose body of work ranges from coins with a diameter of a few centimeters to eight-metre long wood sculptures. She has used both realistic as well as abstract approach to form and worked with a wide range of different materials.

Tiiu Kirsipuu´s probably most well-known work is a bronze sculpture depicting full-size figures of two writers sharing a bench. The two men are Oscar Wilde, the world-famous Irish author, and Eduard Vilde, a prominent figure in Estonian literature. The copy of this artwork can be found in Galway, Ireland, as a gift from the side of the Republic of Estonian and the City of Tartu. Tiiu Kirsipuu is also the author of four commemorative coins ordered by the Bank of Estonia (one golden coin and three silver coins). Many of her sculptures can be found in public spaces, including e.g. monument for J.Skytte in Tartu, monument for the celebration of 100th anniversary of Estonia Theatre and many more.

In 2007 Tiiu Kirsipuu started her series of full-figure sculpture portraits and added one sculpture to the collection each year. The sculptures that have been completed so far include the figures of Matti Miilius, Tõnu Aav, Andres Dvinjaninov, Karin Hallas-Murula, Ülo Vilimaa, Peeter Laurits, Leonhard Lapin ning Hardi Volmer

Works in collections: Estonian Art Museum, Tartu Art Museum, Collection of Tallinn Art Fund, Museum of New Art in Pärnu, Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow (Russia), City of Daugavpils (Latvia), Harry Männil`s private art collection (Venezuela), sculpture park in Changchun (China), many private collections in Estonia and all over the world

Selected awards: Anton Starkopf Sculpture Prize (2010), Kristjan Raud Prize (2010)