Estonia's national epic, Kalevipoeg, written in the mid-19th century by Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald, is a gripping tale of the good-natured hero who bravely faces the challenges of life and nature. Erik Haamer has passionately retold this story in his fantastic drawings. Haamer's works have illustrated, among other things, the Ülemaailmne Eesti Kirjastus Orto edition of Kalevipoeg. Eleven original drawings, along with the literary work, are now being auctioned at Stockholms Auktionsverk. Haamer's drawings depict the saga's strong and wise hero, Kalevipoeg, and all the battles he heroically goes through, as well as the multitude of characters he encounters on his journey.
Erik Haamer was born in 1908 in Arensburg on Ösel in Estonia. His interest in sports led him to study at the sports faculty of Tartu University from 1928 to 1931. It didn't take long before Haamer decided to pursue another strong interest - art. In 1930, he entered Pallas Higher Art School in Tartu, where he studied under Nikolai Triig. The studies included inspirational trips to Finland, France, and Norway. Haamer then combined these two areas and worked as a sports and drawing teacher at Tartu Boys' Gymnasium. In 1945, Haamer moved to Sweden and was active in the country until his death. He participated in exhibitions in Estonia, Poland, Hungary, Italy, Canada, and the USA, as well as in exhibitions of Estonian artists in Sweden. Today, Haamer is represented at the Moderna Museet and Örebro County Museum.
