Born on 28.11.1915 in Tallinn
1931-1937 studied at the State School of Arts and Crafts (teachers: A. Jansen, R. Nyman, V. Mellik)
1938-1940 studied painting at the State Higher Art School (teachers: A. Jansen, J. Greenberg, V. Mellik)
1939 First public show (“Autumn Art Exhibition”, organised by the Committee of the Foundation for Fine Art in Tallinn)
1939-1940 Member of the Central Association of Fine Artists of Estonia
1939-1940 Teacher of the nude course in the State Higher Art School
1939-1941 Teacher of drawing and technical drawing in State Higher Art School, State School for Craft Students and Vocational Boys’ School
1942-1944 Belonged into the collective of Estonian artists in Yaroslavl, war artist
1943 Founder member of the Artists’ Association of the ESSR
1944 Dean of decorative and monumental painting and teacher of monumental painting and drawing at the Tallinn State Institute of Applied Arts (from 1951 Estonian State Art Institute)
1954 Professor at the Estonian State Art Institute
1962 Correspondent member of the Academy of Arts of the USSR
1963 Honorary member of Firenze Academy of Art, national artist of the ESSR
1972 Elected honorary member of the Association of Bookplates and Graphics of Leningrad
1975 Member of the Academy of Arts of the USSR
Creative fields of activity: painting, monumental painting, graphic arts, bookplates, applied arts.
Over 50 personal exhibitions – in Tallinn, Tartu, Haapsalu, Viljandi, Rakvere, Rapla, Kohtla-Järve, Vilnius, Moscow, Kiev, Lvov, Odessa, Kursk, Harkov, Simferopol, Baku, Finland, Sweden, USA
1958 first personal exhibition in Tallinn
1960 personal exhibition in Moscow, Kiev, Odessa
1960 illustrations to “Kalevipoeg”, Tallinn
1961 personal exhibition in Haapsalu, Kohtla-Nõmme
1962 State Art Museum of ESSR, Tallinn
1963 personal exhibition in Tartu, Kiev, Kursk, Lvov, Simferopol, Harkov
1964 State Art Museum of ESSR, Tallinn
1965 Tallinn Art House
1965 personal exhibition in Stockholm
1967 personal exhibition in Baku
1968 paintings in Rakvere, Rapla
1968 exhibition of drawings in art salon, Tallinn
1975 Tallinn Art House
1975 exhibition of bookplates in Tartu
1977 in Artists’ House, Moscow
1980 State Art Museum of ESSR, Tallinn
1985 Tallinn Art House
1990 Tallinn Art House
1995 Tartu Art Museum
1998 Raatuse Gallery, Tallinn
2000 Gallery of Tallinn Art House
2001 Valga Cultural Centre
2001 Pärnu City Gallery
Since 1944 has participated in all annual exhibitions of Estonia
1946 group exhibition “Estonian artists in Armenia”, Tallinn
1947 tempera murals in Tallinn railway station
1947 group exhibition (R. Sagrits, R. Uutmaa) in Tallinn
1948 ceiling piece of the theatre “Estonia” (with R. Sagrits and E. Kits)
1949 group exhibition of graphic artists in Moscow (O. Kangilaski, E. Lepp, I. Linnat, G. Reindorf and E. Einmann)
1962 XXXI Venice Biennial
1963 V international exhibition of graphic art in Ljubljana
1965 VI international exhibition of graphic art in Ljubljana
1968 all-Union travelling exhibition
1971 group exhibition in art salon, Tallinn
1972 group exhibition in Viljandi (J. Muks, L. Mikko)
1975 group exhibition in Kunda (A. Hiibus, A. Kütt, V. Tõnisson)
1977 I triennial of bookplates of Baltic Soviet Republics
1979 Vilnius painting triennial
1980 travelling exhibition organised by Tartu Art Museum
1981 group exhibition in Lübeck (N. Kormasov, O. Subbi)
1982 group exhibition in Riga (A. Keerend, I. Torn)
1983 exhibition of bookplates in Jurmala
1984 exhibition of bookplates in Hyvinkää and Riga
1985 exhibition of bookplates in Helsinki
1987 “Estonian Art”, Central Exhibition House, Moscow
1988 exhibition of Estonian art at ESTO days, Melbourne
1990 Estonian art in Lohja, Finland
1990 Estonian art in France
1995 spring exhibition, Tallinn Art House
1996 “Evald Okas and Daughters”, Chaplin Cultural Centre, Pärnu
1997 “Confrontations and Agreements”, Tallinn Art House
1998 Spring exhibition ’98, Viljandi Art Hall
1999 “Painting ‘99”, Tallinn Art House
1999 “Art Summer ‘99”, Pärnu City Gallery
2000 “Estonian Art at the Turn of the Century”, Tallinn Art House and Berlin
2001 “Butterfly Catcher”, Pärnu Museum of Contemporary Art
2001 “Man and Woman”, Pärnu Museum of Contemporary Art
2002 Painting 2002, Tallinn Art House
2003 exhibition of paintings “Painting Paradise”, Gallery 008, Tallinn
2003 annual exhibition of EAA “Me and the Other”, Tallinn Art House
2004 annual painting exhibition “ICH BIN EIN MALER”
PARTICIPATION IN EXHIBITIONS ABROAD:
Afganisthan, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Egypt, UK, Iraq, Italy, Japan, Yugoslavia, Poland, France, Sweden, Germany, Finland, Denmark, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, USA, Vietnam, Norway, Syria
AWARDS:
1948 state prize of ESSR for the ceiling piece of “Estonia” (with E. Kits, R. Sagrits)
1950 prize of Soviet Estonia for the design of a crystal vase
1959 prize of Soviet Estonia for “Mahtra Sõda”, “Netherlands Series”
1961 prize at IV international exhibition of graphic art in Ljubljana
1962 silver medal of the Academy of Arts of USSR for “Kalevipoeg”, “Travel impressions from Italy 1961”
1962 grand silver medal for participation in art exposition of the Exhibition of National Economy Achievements of USSR
1965 prize of Soviet Estonia for graphic sheets
1977 prize at I triennial of bookplates of Baltic Soviet Republics
1978 Grand Prix at Vilnius Painting Triennial
1979 Kristjan Raud annual award
WORKS IN COLLECTIONS:
Estonian Art Museum, Tartu Art Museum, Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow, Museum Ludwig, Köln and elsewhere.