Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
section on art from the Soviet period. The museum is well worth the trip for art lovers, or
for anyone intrigued by the unique spirit of this tiny nation—particularly when combined
with a stroll through the nearby palace gardens (described earlier) on a sunny day.
Cost and Hours:
€5.50, or €4.20 for just the permanent collection, audioguide-€3.20;
May-Sept Tue-Sun 11:00-18:00, closed Mon; Oct-April Wed-Sun 11:00-18:00, closed
Mon-Tue; Wed until 20:00 year-round; trendy café, tel. 602-6000,
www.kumu.ee
.
GettingThere:
To reach the museum, follow the instructions for Kadriorg Park, earlier;
Kumu is at the far end of the park. To get from the Old Town to Kumu directly without
walking through the park, take bus #67 or #68 (each runs every 10-15 minutes, #68 does
not run on Sun); both leave from Teatri Väljak, on the far side of the pastel yellow theater,
across from the Solaris shopping mall. Get off at the Kumu stop, then walk up the stairs
and across the bridge.
Self-Guided Tour:
Just off the ticket lobby, the
great hall
has temporary exhibits;
however, the permanent collection on the third and fourth floors is Kumu's main draw.
While you can rent an audioguide, I found the free laminated sheets in most rooms enough
to enjoy the collection. The maze-like layout on each floor presents the art chronologically.
The
thirdfloor,
which focuses on classics of Estonian art, starts with 18th-century por-
traits of local aristocrats, moves through 19th-century Romanticism (including some nice
views of Tallinn and idealized images of Estonian peasant women in folk costumes), winds
through several rooms of local Expressionists and other Modernist painters, and ends with
